Hush
by NaturalCyber
Summary: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disasterous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

Cyber-"Welcome all. I shall now investigate what would happen if Naruto suddenly was deprived of his voice. Because we'll be dealing with Mute!Naruto below is a key to alternate forms of communication."

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Hush

Prologue

Humming pleasantly the brown-haired man strolls down the street, glancing at various shops as they turn on their lights for the evening. He nods in greeting at various shopkeepers and passers by occasionally exchanging a word or two. When he passes by a ramen stand though, he stops, blush highlighting the scar across his nose when his stomach rumbles, and murmurs, "Ichiraku. . ." He contemplates for a moment then chuckles, "It'll be a nice surprise for him." Mind made up he slips under the flaps at the entrance.

The shopkeeper smiles warmly, "Welcome! What would you like today Iruka?"

Iruka smiles, "Two bowls, to go."

"Treating Naruto again?" The shopkeeper busies himself in preparing the ramen, gesturing for Iruka to sit down to wait.

Settling at the counter, Iruka nods and then sighs wistfully, "Yes, and this way I won't end up with an empty wallet. Tomorrow Naruto officially becomes a genin and gets assigned his team. Even though he was a handful I'll miss having him as a student."  
. . .

Across town a blond-haired boy, dressed in orange, stops on the steps of an apartment building and suddenly sneezes. "Someone must be talking about me. . ." Naruto sniffs and rubs his nose, continuing up the steps, "Hope it's something good." With a cheery smile Naruto moves to the door to his apartment, nearly bouncing with excitement, "First I'll have ramen for dinner and then I'll go to bed early!" Unlocking the door he laughs, "That way I'll be wide awake tomorrow! I'm finally gonna be a ninja!" The enthusiastic blond slips into the dark apartment and suddenly stops, a frown flickering over his features, "Something's. . ."

"I've been waiting for you, monster fox." A silver-haired man, hair hanging lankly around his face, appears out of the shadows behind Naruto, his voice twisted with hate.

"Mizu—ugh!" Naruto turns and starts to speak but the man vanishes and a hand grabs Naruto's chin, forcing the boy back and exposing his throat. The kunai in the man's other hand glitters in the sliver of light coming through the partially open door and there is a small splash of blood. For the briefest moment there is only a thin line of blood bisecting Naruto's throat but as his attacker moves in front of him Naruto collapses to his knees and the blood seems to blossom, quickly soaking the collar of his jacket, even as his hands come up in a vain attempt to stop the flow. Blue eyes stare up with confusion and shock and Naruto's gasping breaths bubble through the even cut. His mouth, a little blood staining his tongue and lips, forms noiseless words as he falls back, 'Mi-Mizuki-sensei? How?'

For a minute the only sound to break the silence is the gurgle of Naruto's choking breaths, creating a faint foam around the slit, as Mizuki smirks down at the bleeding boy. Then Mizuki laughs, "You ruined my plans to get the scroll so I thought I'd give you a little present before I left for another village." He crouches down, cruelly jerking Naruto up, the bruises on his face coming into the band of light, "You got lucky the first time, little monster, but you're no match for the likes of me." Mizuki laughs again, "I'm actually doing Konoha a favor by killing you. Maybe they'll even thank me for getting rid of the monster fox." His gloating is cut short however as he notices the wound on Naruto's throat beginning to close, wisps of red chakra hovering around it. With a growl he forces Naruto down, dripping kunai raised, "Damn you! I won't let you heal, demon!"

Naruto struggles weakly and manages to get his arms up, taking the brunt of the first blow. Mizuki, though, doesn't stop at one slice and hacks away at Naruto's throat with mad abandon. The blows overlap and crisscross, some as high up as right underneath Naruto's ear and others nicking his collar bones. As the assault continues Naruto's hands fall away giving Mizuki full access to the torn throat. Red chakra hisses through the rapidly multiplying wounds but can't keep up with the damage. As Naruto's tear filled eyes start to cloud and his lips turn blue through the coating of blood, Mizuki crows in triumph, "Die, filthy fox!" He stops slicing and stabs the mutilated flesh a few times before rising nervously, hearing a noise outside, and fleeing. Naruto lies on the floor, tears dripping down his cheeks and chest heaving in an attempt to get some air through the mess of torn flesh and blood.  
. . .

Iruka grins as he trots up the steps, the take out containers of ramen clutched in his arms. His ponytail bounces in rhythm with his steps and his soft brown eyes sparkle with merriment. "Won't Naruto be surprised!" As he approaches the door to Naruto's apartment, however, his steps slow and he frowns at the open door. "Naruto? I brought you ramen." Iruka pushes the door open voice laced with worry, "Naruto?"

As the door swings open light fills the dark apartment falling on the sprawled body of Naruto on the ground. He lies in a pool of blood, jacket so soaked the original colors are impossible to tell. Where his throat should be there is only an unrecognizable pulp with flickers of red chakra trying desperately to heal the damage. His chest still moves but only in short spasms, each accompanied by a wheezing gurgle.

The ramen in Iruka's hands drops to the floor, noodles and broth mixing with trickles of sticky blood. His mouth opens but nothing comes out and in a flash he is at Naruto's side, shaking hands hovering over Naruto, unsure. Iruka's breath is strangled in a sob, "Naruto!" as tears gather in his eyes.

Naruto's eyes open, clouded with fear and pain, and he twitches slightly, a flinch too weak to move his body. Then his eyes clear and his bloody lips twist into the faintest ghost of a smile. A bloody hand comes up, flopping against Iruka's cheek without strength and then sliding off. With a gurgling exhalation Naruto's eyes close and he goes limp, hand flopping to the ground with a wet sound.

"Naruto, don't--! Naruto! Naruto!" Iruka's keening scream echoes through the apartment as the bereft man gathers the bloody boy in his arms, another wordless scream following as the blond head lolls. "Don't die. Not after how hard you worked! Naruto!" With a desperate gleam in his eyes Iruka stands and blurs out the door, murmuring, "Hospital."  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"And that is the end of the prologue. I know the injuries might seem a little much but I figure that anything less could be handled by the kyuubi's chakra. Anyway, please leave reviews and I'll see you next chapter, should you want one. Ja ne!"


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Cyber-"Now for the first real chapter of Hush. Enjoy."

Hush

Chapter 1

Awakening

Iruka sits in the too quiet hospital room, the only sounds the quiet beep of the monitor, as the very first light of the new dawn sidles through the blinds and falls on his weary face. His elbows rest on his knees and he leans his forehead against his clasped hands, clearly half asleep. He returns to full wakefulness in a split second the moment the small form on the bed stirs.

Blond hair feathering out against the pillow and skin unusually pale Naruto lies on the bed, sheet drawn up to his chin. His breathing is shallow and strained but continues steadily, one agonizing gasp at a time. His slack face twists into a frown and his hands twitch beneath the blankets. A moment later blue eyes slowly ease open and stare uncomprehendingly at the ceiling.

Iruka is on him, very gingerly hugging the fragile boy and half sobbing into the pillow next to Naruto's head. His voice is cracked and gritty with lack of sleep, "Naruto! I was so worried, so worried. I'm so glad you're awake."

Naruto draws a deeper breath and winces, opening his mouth as if to speak but Iruka quiets him with a finger, "Hush, don't try to speak. Your throat. . ."

Comprehension and remembrance dawn in Naruto's eyes, followed swiftly by fear. He tenses and struggles to sit up. Iruka immediately pushes Naruto down into the bed, attempting to soothe him with soft words. Naruto doesn't respond but the mistake of taking a gulping breath a few moments later has Naruto arching off the bed, mouth open in a silent scream of pain. The thick bandages wrapped from chin to shoulders begin to stain pink and a gurgling cough brings up blood to dribble down Naruto's chin sending Iruka running to the door and yelling for a medic.  
. . .

Several minutes later the medic steps back from the bed, wiping sweat from his forehead with shaking hands. A pair of nurses works swiftly to re-bandage Naruto's throat, wrapping white gauze around the mass of raw scars and still healing wounds. Iruka looks up from his worried pacing in the corner and rushes to the bed as soon as the nurses step back. He clasps Naruto's hand tightly and strokes blond bangs back with the other, Naruto turning a muzzy and very weak smile on him in return, blue eyes glazed. Iruka rubs the last traces of tears from his face and glances questioningly at the medic.

The medic groans and collapses in the chair provided by one of the nurses. His voice is strained and weary, "He'll live, that's all I can say." The man looks down at his still shaking hands, "It's one of the most amazing miracles I've ever seen, he should be dead a dozen times over, even if it's only because of _that_," he spits the word out like poison, "chakra. But I don't think even _it_ is capable of healing him completely at this point. The scaring and internal damage will remain."

Iruka sits straighter, looking attentive, "And that means. . ." He allows the sentence to trail off in a question.

"At the moment the boy's vocal chords just aren't _there,_ only internal tears. His chances of ever speaking again are. . . infinitesimally small. And with the extent of the remaining injuries. . ." The medic pauses, considering, "Every time he swallows or tries to make sounds he's reopening the wounds _inside_ his throat causing internal bleeding into his esophagus and trachea and there isn't much we can do. Even breathing deeply right now threatens to start the bleeding again. The most we can do is hasten the healing and try to lessen the amount of scar tissue, internally at least. Only time and rest can heal him now."

Iruka looks crushed but manages a weak smile, "But he'll live, and become a ninja."

"Yes."  
. . .

Later as the sun crests the horizon Naruto opens his eyes again, immediately bringing a hand to his throat. Iruka, fully asleep with his head on his arms, stirs at the movement and blinks awake. He smiles softly at Naruto, "You're awake. Need anything?" When Naruto opens his mouth Iruka puts up his hands in mild panic, "No, don't speak. It'll start the bleeding again." He then hands a small notepad and a pencil over, "One of the nurses got you this though. Maybe it'll improve your handwriting, gods know you need it." The mild humor falls flat and Iruka frowns.

Naruto, looking a little lost and increasingly worried at the increasing light, scribbles on the paper. –Day! Time?-

Iruka shakes his head, "If you're worried about having missed the explanatory meeting you haven't yet. It's only five thirty or so." When Naruto relaxes, looking relieved, Iruka frowns, "But I don't think you'll be able to make it." At Naruto's sudden panic stricken look Iruka continues hurriedly, "You almost died last night. You need to heal."

Naruto frantically scribbles out another message. –I have to go! I need to become a ninja.-

Iruka almost laughs, "Is that what you're worried about? That if you miss the meeting you won't become a ninja?" He reaches out and lightly ruffles blond hair, "Relax. Hokage-sama has been informed of what happened and he instructed that you are to be put on medical leave until you have healed completely. There's no need to worry. You'll still become a ninja, just a little later than the others." Iruka puts up a hand to forestall any objections, "And no buts. Your health is more important than doing missions right away. Everyone advances at their own pace."

The notepad is shoved in Iruka's face as Naruto scrambles to get up. –I'm going!- Naruto, however, doesn't get far as Iruka pushes him back and another voice causes him to still in shock.

The old man stands in the doorway, looking sincerely worried, "Naruto, don't push yourself. Iruka is right, maintaining health is just as important as completing missions to a ninja." He strides into the room with a grim air, "Now, since I am here I need your confirmation of who did this so they can be properly punished."

The motions of the pencil are choppy and abrupt, Naruto blinking sudden tears from his eyes. –Mizuki-sensei. Mizuki-sensei tried to kill me.-

"As I thought."

Iruka jerks up, looking furious, "I'll kill him. Where is he! Hokage-sama!"

The Hokage shakes his head, "Mizuki escaped, just barely. Someone helped him but we have yet to discover who. He's well on his way to another village by now, possibly with his accomplice. We will send out Hunter-nin to search for him but until then there is nothing we can do except speed Naruto's recovery." His face lightens, however, on hearing a small sound outside, "It would seem you have your first visitor, Naruto. He snuck out and followed me, against orders. Konohamaru!"

The named boy enters the room, tears drying on his cheeks and holding a poorly wrapped bundle in his arms. Receiving a nod from the Hokage Konohamaru rushes the bed, "Naruto-nii-chan! You're ok!"

Konohamaru's headlong leap onto the bed is arrested by Iruka before he can reach Naruto. The brown-haired man shakes his head, "Careful. Naruto is ok but he hasn't healed yet. You can't go jumping around on injured people like that." His admonition is lightened by a smile and he sets the boy down on the bed carefully.

Looking touched, Naruto grins, the smile bright and genuine although laced with pain. –Konohamaru. Hi.-

Hiccupping, Konohamaru thrusts the gift at Naruto, "Naruto-nii-chan, I tried to visit last night but they wouldn't let me and I saw the nurses throwing away your clothes because of the blood. So I used all of my savings, Grandpa paid the rest, and got you these." He pauses to rub his head bashfully, "I couldn't find the right color though. . . But it's got the same markings on the back as your old one and orange trim!"

Naruto gingerly opens the package, tears dripping down his cheeks but his face twisted up into a wide smile. Inside the crude wrapping is an indigo and black jacket, matching pants included, with the promised orange trim. After a quick scramble for the notepad Naruto jots down a quick note, tears smudging his already sloppy writing. –Thanks so much. No one has ever given me anything except Iruka-sensei. I— - The rest of the sentence is too smudged to read and Naruto frowns a little at it.

Konohamaru gives Naruto a careful hug, "Get better fast, Naruto-nii-chan. I still need to beat you!" Sniffling he wipes a few stray tears from his own eyes.

Naruto nods, 'Promise.' and cracks a smirk as both Konohamaru and Iruka yawn simultaneously. The Hokage coaxes Konohamaru out and leaves the room just as a different medic comes in followed by a nurse.

The medic nods stiffly to the remaining pair and the nurse checks Naruto over, re-wrapping his bandages on neck and arms. Iruka catches sight of what's beneath and winces. Curious Naruto juts down a question. –How bad?- Iruka smiles weakly and shakes his head refusing to answer. Frustrated Naruto turns to the medic. –When will I get out of here?-

The medic shrugs, "At least a month from now."

Naruto is about to protest, violently, but Iruka whispers in his ear, "He's probably exaggerating. In a week or two."

The comment calms Naruto and he pens another question. –When will I be able to talk again?-

"Never."

Naruto attempts to protest loudly but ends up crumpled up in agony and coughing up blood, hands clawing at his throat and causing the new bandages to stain pink, again. Looking very annoyed the medic performs a healing jutsu and leaves the nurse to re-bandage and finish checking Naruto's injuries.

As the nurse wraps gauze around Naruto's throat Naruto scribbles to Iruka. –Is it true?-

Iruka sighs, looking depressed and exhausted, "I'm afraid so. The head medic said the same thing. Also that your throat would be permanently scarred." Seeing Naruto's absolutely crushed and panicked look Iruka continues in an attempt to cheer him up. "But don't worry. This won't stop you from being a ninja. Actually since ninja are supposed to be quiet and stealthy this might turn out to your advantage if you don't let it get you down."

Naruto sits unmoving until the nurse finishes and then writes. –I'm thirsty.-

Looking compassionately down at the injured boy the nurse whispers soothingly, "You can't have anything to drink right now but I can get you some ice chips. You can let them melt in your mouth and that should make you feel better." She bustles off leaving Naruto and Iruka sitting in uncomfortable silence.

When the nurse comes back with the ice though Naruto writes again. –When I'm out of here. . . The scars, how will I hide them?- Naruto gestures to his neck before continuing to write. –I don't want anyone to know.-

Iruka looks stumped but the nurse smiles with a soft exclamation of pleasure, "Ah! I have just the thing. A jounin was hospitalized for about a week several months ago and he wore facemasks, a new one for every day it seemed. They covered him all the way down to his shoulders and when he was released he left one behind. He hasn't been back to get it yet so. . ." She blushes and turns to leave, "I'll go get it for you."

Naruto smiles weakly and writes a thank you to the nurse when she returns. He then proceeds to stare at the black cloth looking clueless. Iruka laughs and helps him carefully slip it on over the bandages, rolling down the top so it only covers his neck. When the mask is on Iruka looks at it thoughtfully, "It almost completely hides the bandages. And it looks nice on you." Any further comment is cut off by a massive yawn.

Naruto smiles more fully this time and scribbles on the pad. –Go to bed for a bit, Iruka-sensei. You should be able to get an hour or two of sleep before the meeting. You look like you need it.-

Iruka blushes and yawns again, "Alright. But I'll be back to check on you before I go to the meeting." Naruto nods and watches Iruka leave.  
. . .

Morning sun well on its way into the sky, Iruka returns, looking refreshed, and calls out a greeting. When his greeting isn't acknowledged by the form on the bed he carefully advances and peeks under the covers. So shocked to discover only pillows Iruka almost misses the note left behind.

-Iruka-sensei,

I need to go to the meeting. I have to prove to the others I have to make everyone recognize me. But don't worry, I'll be careful.

Naruto-

Iruka is about to rush off when the first medic approaches him with a small bottle, "I've treated ninja for a long time and I've learned that if they're determined to get their way nothing will stop them, much less life threatening injuries. Only bring him back if there's nothing you can do on your own. I'm sure the boy would appreciate it. But give him this at lunch time; the syrup has painkillers and clotting agents that should help the tears in his esophagus to close and stay closed. It should be safe for him to drink a little water that way."

Iruka nods in understanding, looking worried and fidgety. "Thank you."

"It's my duty." The medic shakes his head, "And by the way, I do expect him back as soon as the meeting is finished. I haven't released him yet."  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"That's the end of this chapter. The next chapter will concern most, if not all, of the explanatory meeting. Leave reviews and I'll see you then! Ja ne!"

Review Responses:

Thanks to: Erika, Mistress Arts, vampchic, allinaspire, Green eyes, silverfox, glow worm, 18, BT, Rosemarykiss, and kijo kasumi.

To Darak: Thank you for a most thoughtful review. The concerns you have brought up have already been taken into consideration and dealt with. It will take a few chapters for the answers to become clear however.

To wolvesm0on: While I thank you for your review asking for me to update other stories in it is a trifle annoying. If you had looked carefully, not all of my other stories were chapter fics and thus the large number of single chapter entries. Also I post small chapters because it allows me to update far faster than with larger chapters. But no full chapter will be under 2000 words.

To akumariver: Thank you for the review. I will be sorry to loose your readership but it is entirely possible that Naruto will end up with a girl in this story. I will not know until I have the latter parts of the story written out completely however and any pairing will be a minor detail on the side. This is not a romance fic.

To Yum: Thank you for your review. I would like to answer your questions but that would be spoiling the story so you will have to wait until the answers come up in future chapters.


	3. Second Impressions

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Cyber- "In this chapter, Sasuke Vs. the Mask, Sasuke will try his hardest to find out what's hiding beneath that mask and the mask shall laugh in his face. . . Wait, that's the omake. Anyway, on with chapter two of the Mute!Naruto epic!"

Hush

Chapter 2

Second Impressions

Naruto, looking rather dashing in Konohamaru's present and with the mask covering his neck up to his chin, pushes the classroom door open and leans against the frame, eyes closed and lips drawn back in an expression of pain and fatigue. He is about to head into the bustling room but another boy brushes past him with barely a glance then stops and turns around to do a double take. Looking bored from the tip of his bushy ponytail to the bottom of his shoes he drawls, "Naruto?" He looks Naruto up and down, self-confirming his statement, and continues, "That is better than the orange outfit. But this meeting is only for graduates." When Naruto glares and jabs his thumb at the hitai-ate proudly displayed on his forehead the boy rolls his eyes, "Ch' How troublesome." That said he proceeds to ignore Naruto and search for a seat among the benches.

Letting out a held breath, and wincing at the action, Naruto moves into the room. His entrance immediately catches the silver-white eyes of a small girl in the back row. She looks at Naruto, mouth open just slightly in surprise, and a blush spreads throughout her entire face. As he passes she looks about to say something but stutters quietly into a stop instead. Naruto, concentrating on remaining upright and not showing his weakness, doesn't notice her and continues down towards the front of the classroom before slipping tiredly into a seat next to a black-haired boy in blue and white who stares passively towards the front. The boy's dark eyes flicker towards Naruto and remain on him for a second, slight frown on his face deepening for a moment, before the boy looks away and returns to pointedly ignoring everyone in the room.  
. . .

"Hokage-sama, I have a request about the team formations." Iruka slips into the room, looking meek next to the assembled jounin, wearing a faint blush, "This is forward of me but. . ." He trails off, looking at the ground but one woman with dark hair and red eyes smiles at him and he returns it before looking back up.

"This is about Uzumaki Naruto, correct?" The Hokage comments idly, staring into the sphere on his desk as the image shown within changes to show Naruto. In the image Naruto has his head on the desk fighting to keep his eyes open and taking in quick, shallow breaths through his mouth.

Iruka nods, still looking rather nervous, and launches into an explanation, "I can see the wisdom of all the teams but considering. . . That is, since last night. . . I don't think Naruto's current team will be good for him anymore." Iruka pauses and takes a collecting breath, "Perhaps if Haruno Sakura was switched with Hyuuga Hinata. Or even better, if Naruto was switched with the Inuzuka boy."

One of the jounin speaks up, voice gravelly, "If the original teams were wise choices why change them at all? What is your reason?"

Before Iruka can speak up the Hokage murmurs, "The traitor Mizuki, who escaped last night, attacked Naruto in revenge and the boy is now permanently mute." He turns a mild look on Iruka, "But what I want to know is why Naruto is present at the meeting. He is on medical leave and should not be out of the hospital yet."

Iruka blushes and scratches the back of his head but out of the blue one of the jounin, face hidden behind a mask and hitai-ate tilted to hide one eye, speaks out drolly, "So that's where my missing mask went. . ."

Iruka turns a glare on the man but quickly wilts under the amused stare he is given in return. Muttering something under his breath he addresses the Hokage, "Well, Naruto appears to have escaped from the hospital. When I went to check on him a short while ago he had already gone. This day is a big accomplishment for him, he has had his heart set on being there today since he graduated."

A different jounin from the first two, tall and imposing, speaks up, "I don't see why the groups would need to be changed. The Uzumaki boy will still have to overcome his new handicap if he is to succeed and that could be accomplished with almost any team."

Iruka bristles, exuding a protective aura, "Because Naruto is the loudest, most boisterous boy in his class, in any class only Inuzuka Kiba comes close, and loosing all of that is going to be very hard on him. Of his current teammates, Uchiha Sasuke is fairly quiet but Haruno Sakura can be quite chatty, especially when Sasuke is around. I know, I can see it in his eyes, that every time someone around him talks he is reminded again that he can't so it would be better if he were to be placed with others who are quiet, forced or not." Iruka starts to relax, speaking impassionedly, "While the first option I mentioned might not be very good I've looked hard at both Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba. In combat they use somewhat similar styles and tactics. Overall, I'd say that they are roughly equal. Kiba's current teammates, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino, are both very quiet which would suit Naruto, and Kiba could take the place of Naruto within the other team quite easily." He takes a deep breath and suddenly looks nervous again.

The Hokage sits quietly watching the scene within the crystal then his lips quirk in a grin, "I think I'll keep Naruto and Sasuke together. They seem to have made a good start already." He chuckles, "However, I will hold open the option of switching Hinata and Sakura at a later time if a switch is deemed necessary by both of their sensei." With a wave he dismisses Iruka, "Hurry to your students now, it would seem Naruto is getting himself into trouble as usual."  
. . .

Naruto sits limply in his seat, heavy lidded and breathing shallowly, until a commotion from the door attracts his attention. He looks up in time to see two girls arguing, one a blond and the other with long, nearly pink hair. He perks up immediately mouthing, 'Sakura-chan.' and gazes adoringly at the pink haired girl. Cheeks pink, he stands up to welcome her as she approaches but she pushes him aside to fawn over the other boy next to him.

Sakura nearly bounces with glee, "Sasuke-kun!" She starts to say more but stops abruptly when she sees an irate Naruto leap up on the desk in front of Sasuke. She doesn't seem to notice Naruto wince and bite his lip after performing the action but Sasuke's dark eyes widen then narrow slightly.

With a glower, Naruto crouches in front of Sasuke, trying to stare the other boy down. Sasuke, however, doesn't cooperate and quickly breaks eye contact to glare with mixed confusion and frustrated curiosity at the mask obscuring Naruto's throat. Naruto catches the direction of Sasuke's gaze and his mouth falls open to speak. At the same time Sasuke reaches out to grab the top edge of the mask and an increasingly disturbed Naruto grabs the slender wrist to stop him.

In a split second the room is in chaos with the girls who had gathered around Sakura in response of an ongoing argument staring in shock at an equally shocked Sasuke and Naruto. The boy in the seat below Naruto suddenly leans back, knocking the blond forward. The two boys stare in startled shock over meshed lips, Sasuke's fingers dislodged from the edge of the mask and now threaded partially through blond hair at the base of Naruto's skull.

Sakura, arguing with the blonde she had come with stops mid-yell to gasp and stare in shock, "Ino-pig! You— eeek!" When the impromptu kiss doesn't end immediately she faints, to be caught by Ino.

Ino, her arms full of an unconscious Sakura, gapes, looking rather broken-hearted, "Sasuke-kun is kissing Naruto! But. . ." She trails off staring, not really aware of voicing her thoughts, "Naruto looks nice in black. . ."

The kiss ends quickly, the two utterly shocked boys shaken apart by a ragged cough from Naruto. Naruto immediately curls in on himself, expression pained, and presses his hands against his throat. Sasuke, however, licks his lips wearing a vaguely shocked expression that morphs to a frown, his voice an unheard whisper, "Blood?"

For a moment no one moves and then one girl yells, "Naruto stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss!" and the group of girls, resembling a small scale mob, turns on Naruto looking ready to attack.

The moment after the first punch is thrown, however, Iruka is standing between the girls and Naruto, looking like nothing more than a mother hawk protecting her chick. His voice is steely quiet, "No fighting in this classroom. Now take your seats and we will begin the explanatory meeting."

The girls, and the others who had left their chosen seats to get closer to the action, grumble and drift away from Naruto. Ino, looking rather annoyed at Sakura's dead weight, shoves Sakura onto the bench and marches to the back row. Naruto, up after the punch but still looking groggy and in pain, pushes her over and slumps in beside her. Still unconscious, the pink-haired girl falls to the side, her head landing in Sasuke's lap and getting a surprised grunt from the brooding boy. Looking rather annoyed, at both Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke attempts to shake her awake and when that fails proceeds to ignore her.

Apparently satisfied that Naruto is mostly ok and that he will come to no further harm Iruka moves to the front of the room and begins a speech on the responsibilities of genin, Sakura waking just as he announces that the class will be split into three man teams. He is forced to pause for over a minute due to Sakura's ecstatic squeal upon waking in Sasuke's lap and the minor descent into insanity it causes, including being forced to deal with a flustered and very annoyed Sasuke. After some yelling, and convincing a recalcitrant Naruto to sit in between Sakura and Sasuke, Iruka calms down the class and begins to announce the teams. All is well until he announces the members of Team Seven.

Naruto, taking careful and very shallow breaths, perks up at the announcement of his name and leaps to his feat with glee when Sakura's name is called. Moments later he is slumped against the desk but not out of despair over hearing Sasuke's name called. He is bent over and coughing out blood as quietly as possible, hands clutching at his throat. No one else appears to notice but Sasuke frowns faintly, the frown deepening when he sees Naruto wiping fresh blood from the table with a furtive glance once the coughing subsides. Before he can do, or ask, anything though, Iruka calls a recess for lunch.

Iruka, clearly concerned, swoops down on Naruto. His smile is faint and his voice is soft, "Naruto. Could you come with me for a moment? I have something for you." Naruto, looking exhausted, follows, leaning against Iruka as soon as they get to the door.

Sasuke takes a step in their direction but is waylaid by a blushing Sakura. Before he can protest she grabs his wrist with both hands surprisingly hard and pulls him away with a cheery suggestion that is more of a command, "Let's eat lunch together, Sasuke-kun! Since we're teammates now!" Sasuke glares at her before glancing back the way Iruka led Naruto, but she is too busy throwing a smirk at Ino to realize.

Ino, however, is too busy glaring at her new teammate and complaining to notice, "First I find out that Sasuke-kun probably likes boys then I get stuck with you and the fatty as teammates. My life sucks."

Her new teammate, still looking bored, shrugs, "Not my fault. I didn't want to be stuck with such a troublesome girl either."

"Shut up, Shikamaru."  
. . .

Iruka settles Naruto into a chair in the cramped office, clucking his tongue with concern, "Naruto, are you sure you're alright?" At Naruto's affirmative nod he sighs and pulls out the bottle, carefully reading the label and measuring out a dose, "I'd rather you went back to the hospital now but if you insist the medic said this should help the pain. And that it would allow you to drink some water too, but no food yet." He hands the small cup of thick syrup to Naruto, "Drink all of it."

Naruto smiles up at Iruka, eagerly accepting the cup and gulping it down. A half second later he is doubled over hands clutching at his throat again and tears leaking from his eyes. A concerned Iruka steadies him and holds him until he relaxes.

Looking stern, Iruka gently helps Naruto stand, "If it hurts that badly I'm taking you back to the hospital. No one in your condition should be out and about." Naruto shakes his head in furious negative and manages to look pleadingly up at Iruka. The older man quickly cracks and sighs again, "Alright, but you're going to go somewhere quiet and rest until lunch is over. I'll come back and get you." At Naruto's nod the Iruka leads the boy out.  
. . .

Snarling, Sasuke manages to shake his hand free of Sakura's slackening grip, "Let me go!"

Sakura blushes, "Sorry, Sasuke-kun. Anyway let's eat here." She gestures to a bench and begins walking toward it, talking animatedly, "I'm so glad we get to eat together, Sasuke-kun! Isn't it so wonderful that we're on the same team? Sasuke-kun?" She turns around to find Sasuke walking away, "Wait! Sasuke-kun, don't you want to eat here? I'm mean if you've got somewhere better or," she blushes, "more private. . . Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke turns and gives her a cold stare, "I'm going to find Naruto."

"Naruto!" Sakura scowls, "He's so annoying! Always getting in my way and spoiling my love. So selfish." She breaks into a trot to keep up with Sasuke's increasing place, "You know he doesn't have parents right? That's what makes him so selfish. If he had parents to scold him he would be nearly as. . ." She flounders as Sasuke suddenly stops, head down.

"You don't know." Sasuke's voice is low, little more than a whisper, "The pain, the loneliness. Being scolded. . . I'm sure Naruto would do anything for a father, even if he was constantly scolded and considered unworthy, compared to. . ." Sasuke trails off and walks briskly away, leaving a gaping Sakura behind.  
. . .

Naruto blinks sleepily as Iruka opens a door. Iruka smiles at his expression and guides Naruto inside, "I used to hide up here when I wanted to be alone. No one should bother you." He chuckles at Naruto's nodding head, "The medicine must be kicking in. The bottle said it would make you sleepy." He gives Naruto a gentle push towards the open window, "There's a patch of sunlight, should be nice and warm. Go. I'll be back to get you later." He watches fondly as Naruto stumbles into the sunlight and curls up, almost instantly asleep. Then with a quiet smile he closes the door and his footsteps can be heard fading away.  
. . .

Perched on a rooftop Sasuke suddenly smiles, a twisted one but there, and leaps down, "Found you. Now to find out what is wrong with you."  
. . .

Ino, munching onigiri and leaning against the railing blinks down at the window across the way, "Is that. . . Naruto?"

Shikamaru sits up from looking at the clouds and nods before falling back to his original position, "Yeah."

"That's an awfully secluded spot. . ." Ino frowns, "Is he sleeping?"

"Ch' How troublesome."

Ino growls, "Shut up, Shikamaru. Remember who's the leader here." She elbows Shikamaru in the side, getting a grumble for her troubles and looks down at the window again, "Sasuke-kun! What—?"

Shikamaru groans, "I don't want to know." He turns and cracks an eye at the other boy sitting with them, happily eating a massive pile of onigiri, "Chouji, please tell me you're almost finished so we can get out of here."

"Nope. Sorry Shikamaru." The heavyset boy holds out one of the onigiri, "Want another?" Shikamaru covers his eyes with his arms but takes the peace offering anyway.

Ino gasps, "Sasuke-kun is, is kissing Naruto! Again!"

Shikamaru glances down at the window, revealing only a slim strip of Sasuke's back, being clutched by one of Naruto's hands, through the shutter, "You're jumping to conclusions. It's impossible to tell from this angle that. . ." He glances at the rapt Ino and rolls over, "Why do I even bother?"

"Now they're hugging!"

Shikamaru groans, "I don't want—"

"And Sasuke-kun is giving Naruto his food. Feeding him by hand!" Another groan. "Eeek! Naruto just groped. . . Oh, he was just reaching for Sasuke-kun's water. That's so cute."

"I don't want to know!" Chouji looks surprised at Shikamaru's shout but Ino doesn't notice.

"So Sasuke-kun really does like boys. Damn." This time both boys groan in response.  
. . .

Sasuke slips into the small room through the window, looking triumphant. His smirk fades quickly as he approaches the sleeping Naruto, hearing the gurgling crackle in each shallow breath. Face darkening with annoyance Sasuke kneels next to Naruto and shakes his shoulder, "Wake up, idiot." Naruto curls up tighter in response, tears wetting his eyelashes while his eyes move restlessly behind the lids. Frowning Sasuke shakes Naruto harder, rolling the blond on his back, "Wake up!"

Naruto starts awake, mouth open in a scream and eyes wide with terror. In the next moment he is struggling to breath, making wet, sickening sounds with each indrawn breath. His hand claws futilely at his throat and his lips redden with traces of blood.

"The hell!" Eyes wide with something resembling fear Sasuke pulls Naruto up, "Blood, lungs. . . Umm. . ." Ever so slightly frantic, Sasuke grabs Naruto's chin and forces the blond to look into his eyes, their faces nearly touching, "You have to cough it up. Cough, Naruto!" One of Naruto's hands fists in Sasuke's shirt but his breathing only becomes more labored. Sasuke snarls, more afraid than angry, "Cough!" He sends a fist into Naruto's stomach and Naruto doubles over, their positions forcing his forehead into the crook of Sasuke's neck. After a moment there is a hacking cough and the sound of blood splashing on the floor followed by another and another. Naruto's other hand comes up and wraps around Sasuke for support and Sasuke carefully returns the action holding the weakened boy still as he coughs.

The coughing subsides and Naruto relaxes, hands falling from Sasuke's back. Sasuke shifts to sit beside Naruto, looking rather relieved, and starts when the other boy leans heavily against his shoulder, breathing shallow and fast. Sasuke glares down at Naruto, "What the hell is wrong with you? As your—" Sasuke's tone softens slightly seeing the exhaustion in Naruto's features, "If you were sleeping you probably haven't had lunch yet. Idiot, when you're sick you need to eat well. Where's your lunch?" Naruto doesn't respond, blood glazed mouth open to take easier breaths. Sasuke growls angrily, "You didn't think to bring anything did you? Or money to buy something?" Taking the lack of response as confirmation Sasuke's mood darkens even more and he digs out a package of onigiri and a bottle of water, muttering snidely, "I don't want to risk getting in trouble for letting you die or something so. . ." He pushes one of the onigiri towards Naruto, "here. I never eat the last one anyway."

Naruto turns his face into Sasuke's shoulder in refusal of the food even though his stomach rumbles weakly. Sasuke sighs in exasperation and takes a small bite, "It's not poisoned if that's what you're worried about." He pushes the onigiri against Naruto's lips, "Eat." Naruto closes his mouth, open to take in gasping breaths, and shakes his head getting an annoyed sound from Sasuke.

Then Naruto sees the water bottle and reaches over to grab it, ignoring Sasuke's startled jump. He twists off the cap and takes a swallow, gritting his teeth and tensing with pain as the water slides down his throat. Sasuke reaches out to steady the tipping bottle, his hand covering Naruto's own, with an expression of understanding, "You're not eating because of the pain. What is wrong with you?" Naruto only brings up the bottle again in response. Clearly frustrated Sasuke steadies him while he drinks, carelessly brushing the dribble of pinkish water from Naruto's chin when the blond finishes. Naruto just lays his head against Sasuke's shoulder again, hovering on the edge of consciousness.

"Now tell me what's wrong with you." When Naruto mutely shakes his head Sasuke growls, "I have a right to know as—" Sudden realization dawns on his face, "You can't talk can you! Whatever's wrong it's preventing you from speaking." Naruto flinches and Sasuke sighs, "Fine. I'll wait." He pauses and stands, pulling Naruto up next to him, "Come on. Break will be over soon." When Naruto sways on his feet Sasuke shrugs the blonde's arm over his shoulders and helps the other boy out of the room. His threat is rather unconvincing, "Tell anyone about this and I'll kick your ass."  
. . .

Ino puts a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I'm sorry about Sasuke."

With a shrug Sakura knocks of Ino's hand, "What are you talking about?"

"About Sasuke liking Naruto." Ino sighs, "It was a shock to me too. Anyway. . . how about a truce? There's no point in competing for someone who's already taken."

"You're lying! There's no way Sasuke would like Naruto. . ." Sakura trails off, looking pained as Sasuke carefully escorts Naruto in, the other no longer leaning on him, a hand resting on Naruto's back just in case. She pales when Sasuke slips into a desk in the front row and helps Naruto sit beside him. When Naruto leans against Sasuke's shoulder, the dark-haired boy looking both annoyed and embarrassed, she whimpers and tears form in her eyes. "It can't be true. . ."

This time Ino slides a comforting arm around Sakura's shoulders, "It'll be alright. There are other cute guys out there. Besides, Sasuke isn't good enough for either of us anyway."

Iruka slinks into the room, looking quite guilty, leading several jounin. When he sees Naruto though he blinks in shocked confusion, murmuring, "I was sure Naruto wouldn't wake up on his own. . . I hope he isn't mad at me for trying to let him sleep through the rest of the meeting." With a shake of his head he addresses the assembled genin, "Now I would like to introduce your new jounin sensei," Iruka stops to half-glare at the group and mutters under he breath, "All but one." Out loud he continues, "When I call your group number please come to the front and your sensei will take you somewhere to have your first meeting."  
. . .

The Hokage stands contemplatively at the doorway to Naruto's apartment, the masked jounin at his side, and looks sadly at the bloodstained floor.

The jounin kneels and touches the dried blood, "So this is where it happened then?"

"Yes." The Hokage's voice is stern, "Kakashi. You need to watch over them, especially Naruto and Sasuke. It is clear to me that Sasuke's only goal is vengeance right now and Naruto. . . If Naruto allows Mizuki's attack to consume him. . ." The old man trails off meaningfully.

"Two avengers, huh?" Kakashi speaks nonchalantly but his stance is tense, "Maybe that teacher, Iruka, was right. It might be best to separate them. If they are together they could end up encouraging each other further down that road."

"That is a risk I'm willing to take. Naruto is unusually forgiving. . ."

"You're hoping that he'll let this go and be a good example for Sasuke?"

"Yes, but if that fails. . . Their common bonds may help them form ties, with each other if not the village, and make them become less reckless in seeking their revenge."

"I see."

As Kakashi turns to leave the Hokage calls out softly, "I'm entrusting them to you, Kakashi. Don't fail me. Out of any of the young ninja in this village they have the capacity to become two of the best, and most powerful, ninja in a long time."

"Or two of the most dangerous criminals. . ."  
. . .

Mizuki bows before the shadowed figure, a sick smile on his face, "A certain man directed me to you. He said that you want me to join your forces. Especially now that I've killed the kyuubi brat."

Hissing laughter fills the air, "Welcome, Mizuki. You seem. . . most promising."  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"That is the end of this chapter. How was it? Do leave reviews but until next chapter, ja ne!"

Review responses:

Thanks to: Lique, Kyouta, vampchic, yoroshiku, kijo kasumi, Anon, silverfox, A person, akumariver, Kyuubi-kun, reader, blue 1/2, maleficus-lupus, agent spielplatz, Turtle Kid, Alcyone-blk, Archangel Rhapsody, madnarutofan, Snarling Kitsune, wolvesm0on, Naty-chan, TenshiKaitou, Puppy-Kagoge, fox watcher

To 18: Thank you for your review. To answer your question I do not intend for Naruto to ever get his voice back. And yes, this will be a very long fic(five chapters just to get past the introductory stuff).

To Sammei: Thank you for your review and yes that is basically what happened. As for the facemask, well, you know already.

To Yum: Thanks for the review. As to your question; Mizuki attacks Naruto as he is getting home after playing with/teaching Konohamaru all day. And the answer to the other question will be revealed in the fic. Eventually.

To yume: Thank you for the constructive critique! You don't know how much I look forward to such things. I agree with the comma thing(I have trouble with commas) and I will watch out for similar instances in the future. I'm a little unsure what you mean about the dialogue though.

To ?GN: Thanks for the review. Sorry to say that there will probably be some m/m in this fic. However, there will also be some m/f and f/f as well and no pairing will be the focus of the story.


	4. To Kill a Certain Man

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Cyber-"And now on to chapter 3! Rejoice!"

Hush

Chapter 3

To Kill a Certain Man

Naruto, now curled up like a kitten on Sasuke's lap and much to the latter's annoyance, shivers in his sleep and clutches Sasuke's knee tighter. Sakura, sulking against the teacher's desk, sends a tired glare in Naruto's direction and groans, "Where's our sensei? All the other teams have left already. I want to get this over with." So I can go home and cry is left unsaid.

Sasuke scowls and drops his hand to Naruto, first pulling at Naruto's clenched hand and then subsiding, "Ch'"

Seconds later the door opens and Kakashi peeks in, lazily surveying the trio. His visible eye quirks with humor as he takes in Sasuke, now absently petting Naruto's hair much to the comfort of the still sleeping boy. Sasuke scowls in return and snatches his hand away from Naruto. Kakashi shrugs it off, "Yo."

"Sensei! You're three hours late!" Sakura, a bundle of nervous energy and frustration turned to anger, stands with one hand on her hip and her finger pointing accusingly, "What kind of jounin are you! You look lazy and stupid and I had to watch those two all this time and arg!"

Kakashi, unfazed by her assualt, tilts his head, "Hmmm. . . My first impression of you three is. . ." Both Sasuke and Sakura perk up as he pauses but Naruto merely stirs and doesn't wake, relaxing when Sasuke's hand finds its way into his hair again. Kakashi's smirk is almost visible through the facemask, "I hate you."

Sasuke and Sakura both jerk at the unexpected insult and Naruto snaps awake. For a moment he doesn't move, Sasuke's fingers lightly tracing the edges of his hitai-ate, then he scrambles away blushing and attempting a glare. Sasuke returns the glare, struggling to hide his own embarrassment. Then as Naruto takes in the situation confusion covers his face and he blinks at Sasuke and Kakashi.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "That is our sensei. You'd think that you didn't know we three are on the same team." When Naruto's confusion deepens Sasuke frowns, "You didn't hear Iruka-sensei call my name did you?" When Naruto shakes his head, confirming Sasuke's guess, Sasuke smirks, "You should be aware of your surroundings at all times, dobe." Naruto's returning glower is ineffective.

Kakashi, forestalling further argument, puts up his hands, "Now then, let's go outside and get on with the initial meeting."  
. . .

Iruka sits across the desk from the Hokage, sipping at a cup of tea. "Um, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage looks up from behind a pile of scrolls, "Naruto will be in the hospital for some time. It is in everyone's best interest that he is kept busy. This is a collection of things that he will certainly find useful."

Iruka looks through the pile of hand written scrolls and books the Hokage pushes towards him, "Sign-language, ANBU codes. . ." He looks up startled, "ANBU codes! But Hokage-sama. . ."

The old man shakes his head, laughing, "Don't worry. I just copied a couple of basic ones that Naruto would be able to use while on missions that require radio contact. Nothing dangerous." He picks up a last scroll and hands it to Iruka, "There are also some jutsu that Naruto may find quite useful. Now that he has a chance to improve his stealth. . ." Both men share a frown, "Anyway, bring those to Naruto when you go visit him tonight."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."  
. . .

Kakashi settles on the railing facing his three new students. Sakura, fidgeting, settles on the steps next to a now composed and stoic Sasuke. Naruto sits on Sasuke's other side as Sakura had snarled at him when he attempted to sit next to her. The tension between the three is palpable and Kakashi shakes his head minutely before speaking, "Now then. Let's get started by introducing ourselves, name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams." He tosses Naruto a notepad and pencil, "You forgot these. Write yours down and I'll read it to the others." Naruto fumbles with the objects and scowls at Kakashi before scribbling on the paper. Kakashi turns to Sakura, "You first while we wait."

Sakura frowns, "But what about you sensei?"

"Me?" Kakashi poses thoughtfully, "I'm Hatake Kakashi. There are some things I like and some things I don't like. I have a few hobbies. My dreams I keep to myself."

"But all we learned was your name!" When Kakashi doesn't respond Sakura huffs in annoyance and plasters a fake smile on her face, "I'm Haruno Sakura. And I like. . ." She glances at Sasuke and blushes "Well, the person I like. . ." Sasuke, not paying attention to her, leans towards Naruto in an attempt to read over his shoulder and Sakura bursts into tears.

Kakashi sighs, and sounding rather disappointed says, "And what about the things you hate?"

"Naruto!"

Naruto turns a hurt look on her and then scowls, attempting to hide the notepad from Sasuke. Kakashi sighs again and speaks to Sasuke, "Your turn."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things and I don't like many at all. And my dream won't remain just a dream. It's an ambition, one that I'm going to fulfill, to revive my clan and kill a certain man." Sasuke pretends not to notice Sakura's open appraisal or Naruto's surprise.

Seemingly satisfied Kakashi turns to Naruto, "Finished?" Naruto writes on for a moment and then tosses Kakashi the notepad. Kakashi snatches it and begins to read, voice neutral, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, especially Ichiraku ramen that Iruka-sensei buys me, and Iruka-sensei and Konohamaru. I hate Mizuki-sensei. My dream is to become Hokage so that everyone will recognize me. . ." Kakashi pauses for a moment, "and to get Mizuki-sensei back for hurting me."

Both Sasuke and Kakashi fix Naruto with calculating looks but Sakura stands up, angry, "Why do you hate Mizuki-sensei? He's a really good teacher, and nice." She slows, voice icy, "Besides if he hurt you, you deserved it. Probably worse." Naruto jumps up, hands clenched and trembling, in response and takes a step towards her.

Before he can get any further, Kakashi speaks up, "Mizuki is a traitor. He attacked Naruto last night."

Both Sasuke and Sakura snap their attention towards Kakashi but Naruto sits down and tries to become as small as possible. Sakura, looking shocked, speaks up after a moment of silence, "Mizuki-sensei! That's impossible!"

Sasuke looks Kakashi in the eye, voice cool, "What did he do to Naruto?"

Kakashi tosses the notepad back to Naruto instead of answering, "Not my place to say. Ask Naruto."

Sasuke gives Naruto an expectant look but Naruto just mutely shakes his head. Scowl deepening Sasuke grabs Naruto's shoulder, "Since we've been forced into a team I need to know your weaknesses so I can compensate for them. Tell me!"

Naruto, fists clenched in rage, jumps to his feet opening his mouth to yell. He manages to get a fist back before the coughing starts and he collapses, cradling his throat. He stumbles into a startled Sasuke who finds himself with a lap full of Naruto for the second time in a single day. Naruto brings up blood, less than earlier, and Sasuke, fighting not to show embarrassment, awkwardly supports him.

Kakashi's lips quirk into a grin beneath the mask but his voice is casual, "Naruto. Tell your teammates your injuries. It's an order."

When the coughing finally eases Naruto glares weakly at Kakashi and scribbles on the paper. –Mizuki-sensei cut my throat. Everybody says I should have died.-

With a faint look of fascination Sasuke reaches out and gently touches the mask around Naruto's throat, tracing an imaginary slice across Naruto's neck, "So that's the reason for this. You're hiding the bandages." Shivering at the touch, Naruto nods and looks away, faint color coming to his cheeks.

"That's impossible. No one could be up and around just a day after having their throat cut." Sakura scoffs, hands on her hips, "No medic is that good."

"He is obviously injured and the injuries are centered on his throat. What else could it be?" Sasuke's bitter retort catches Sakura's full attention.

"So you're defending him now, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura sniffs, looking angry, "He's just an annoying little idiot who can't even do Bunshin no jutsu properly! He's last in the class! I'm surprised he even graduated at all." Voice cracking, she shouts, "What does he have that I don't!" Both Sasuke and Naruto give her identical blank looks and Kakashi raises an eyebrow.

After a lengthy silence Kakashi clears his throat, "Anyway, because of Naruto's injuries he has been put on medical leave and we won't be completing any missions until he is healed." Intentionally, but sounding like an afterthought, he adds, "And we were going to have our first mission tomorrow too. Oh well."

"A mission?" Sakura, troubles with Sasuke and Naruto temporarily forgotten, asks softly, "What sort of mission?"

Kakashi smiles beneath the mask, "A mission just for our team." After a theatrical pause he continues, "Survival Training."

Sakura pouts, "Training? But didn't we have enough training when we were in the academy?"

Chuckling Kakashi shakes his head, "I'm sure you'll all be very surprised. This training is a test to see if you are really worthy of becoming genin." At the surprised faces of the three Kakashi breaks into actual laughter, "See? You're surprised. It has a 66 failure rate and those who fail are sent back to academy. You should thank Naruto that you're given time to prepare rather than having to face it the day after becoming a team."

Sasuke scowls, "Then what were the tests at the academy for then?"

"To show who had the potential to become genin." Kakashi pauses, "So go home and train, Sasuke, Sakura, and I will inform you when Naruto is cleared for. . ."

Naruto suddenly stands up, notepad thrust out for everyone to read. –Tomorrow. We'll take that test tomorrow and pass! I won't hold anybody back or let them down. . . Not even Sasuke.-

"Naruto. . ." Sasuke's voice dips in warning, "I won't be sent back to the academy because we failed due to your injuries."

Looking bland Kakashi shrugs, "If you insist I don't suppose I can dissuade you, Naruto. You've already escaped the hospital once. Tomorrow then. Meet at the training grounds at 5 a.m. And don't eat anything or you'll throw up." With that Kakashi stands, "Oh, and Sasuke? Escort Naruto back to the hospital." After a pause he adds, "It's an order." and disappears.

After assuring that Kakashi is gone Sasuke rounds on Naruto, "If we fail because of you. . ."

Looking confident Naruto mouths in return, 'I won't fail. _We_ won't fail.' Sasuke manages to catch him, just barely, when he faints.  
. . .

The Hokage looks up sternly at the opening of the door, "Ibiki."

"Hokage-sama. Our suspicions have been confirmed." Ibiki bows, "Mizuki's accomplice was of at least jounin level and had a deep working knowledge of Konoha. There is also a confirmed foreign ninja among the dead from his escape. The man had nothing linking him to any particular village on him. We believe this man was Mizuki's contact with the village he defected to."

"Continue."

"All Konoha jounin and ANBU have been accounted for so the accomplice wasn't another traitor. Mizuki has escaped completely, there is no trail left behind and it can be assumed that his accomplice is also away cleanly. But the second attempt to take the Scroll of Sealing failed. Mizuki has no skills or knowledge of crucial importance so in spite of his escape Konoha's losses are minimum. Now that we are aware that another village orchestrated this we can be more cautious."

The Hokage frowns, "Minimum, Ibiki? Two ANBU and a good jounin are dead. Uzumaki Naruto was left unguarded and is now permanently injured. When I agreed to allow you to keep Mizuki alive temporarily in hopes of discovering his accomplices and contacts I expected proper precautions to be taken. Was your gamble worth the risks?"

"Proper precautions were taken. We just. . ."

"Underestimated our unseen enemy." The Hokage's voice is faintly scolding, "You assumed that because Mizuki was a chuunin schoolteacher that he was being used as a tool to get the Scroll. You assumed that our enemy would make an attempt to take the Scroll rather than rescue Mizuki. You assumed that they would send someone expendable rather than a very skilled ninja whose loss would hurt more than the potential gain. You assumed that Mizuki would concentrate on escape rather than revenge. Am I wrong?"

"Hokage-sama, I. . ." Ibiki trails off, self-directed anger and frustration warring on his face.

"Ibiki you are an excellent ninja and an unparalleled interrogator. You have the human psyche mapped out well enough to break almost anyone who comes before you. But you tend to forget that the human spirit is full of surprises." The Hokage leans back, age lined face grim, "Your course of action was the right one, one that anybody would have taken, and we did learn some valuable things about our enemy. I just wish the cost hadn't been so high."

"It won't happen again, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage smiles, "I'm sure it won't. Everyone makes mistakes, Ibiki, even me. But now go back and look over the incident, every detail, and see what you can learn. I value your insight."

"Sir!" Ibiki salutes and leaves.

The Hokage sighs, "I hope we can discover the truth underneath the lies before it is too late."  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"And that brings us to the end of chapter three. Tune in next chapter for cute Naruto Iruka interaction and the Survival Training! Ja ne!"

Review responses:

Thanks to: moonprincess90, Shadow117, BT, slayerette0, 18, silverfox, akumariver, Stranj100, Shiruy, Erika, Saske's Iris, april, jadeite, kirameki, alisha, The Daxinator, Luna, Rosemarykiss, wolvesm0on, ntfoemy, Hiei Girl 003, green-gold-fox, Lady Adako, blackhypnos101, bast4, Princess Kitana, tiqqra

To Yum: Thank you for the review. If you want to send me the thing about commas I certainly wouldn't mind a bit. As to Sakura's reaction. . . well, the readers won't discover the depth of it for a few chapters yet.

To TenshiKaitou: Thank you for your review. As for the 'gentle and caring' Sasuke, my interpretation of the character (which is certainly faulty as I am not the creator of Naruto) allows for moments of "weakness" where the walls he has built around himself thin and his childhood personality, which he has repressed, surfaces. I am aware that my Sasuke deviates from traditional fanfic interpretation (deviation from canon is a given in any fanfic) but I hope he doesn't deviate so much as to be unrecognizable.

To WaywardFate: Thank you for your review. As for the mistakes with syntax, grammar etc I acknowledge that I'm far from perfect. And if my beta doesn't catch it there's a good chance it won't be changed. If you point them out though, I'll gladly fix what I can.

Pairing note: Many reviews ask about or for pairings. For a good portion of the fic the main cast is too young to be in any serious relationship and therefore the most that will be seen is crushes and maybe a little experimentation. And most (if not all) of the crushes will coincide with canon. If (or when) this fic progresses through to part II of the Naruto storyline is where any actual romances and/or sexual relationships will develop. In short any actual pairing is a long time in coming so don't hold your breath. And I will say it once again: any and all romance (and sex for that matter) is secondary to the plot. Those that are reading for romance will probably end up disappointed. Thank you for your time.


	5. A New Approach

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Cyber-"The story is finally getting on a roll. We've already hit chapter 4! So without further ado, here it is!"

Hush

Chapter 4

A New Approach

When Sasuke half carries Naruto into the hospital room, helped by Sakura, Iruka is immediately at their side fussing over Naruto, "What happened?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "Apparently he overdid it." Without Iruka having to ask he shifts Naruto and helps the teacher slide the unconscious boy into the bed.

When the blond is tucked in and the nurse Iruka called to help slips out the door after replacing the I.V. Iruka turns to the two young ninja, "Thank you two for helping Naruto. I'm sure he'd thank you himself if he was awake." Sakura nods stiffly and walks out but Sasuke stays, looking unsure. Iruka tilts his head at the scowling boy, "Yes, Sasuke?"

"Naruto is hiding something. What is it?"

Frowning, Iruka sits, "What do you know?"

Having no where else to sit Sasuke hoists himself up to sit on the bed, flinching when Naruto curls around his back, "That Mizuki is a traitor and cut Naruto's throat. That Naruto can't speak or eat because of the pain." After a pause he adds, "And that Naruto should be on medical leave. But why would Mizuki, even as a traitor, single out Naruto for attack?" Naruto snuggles more firmly against Sasuke and the black-haired boy scowls, "And why the hell does he seem to think I'm some sort of plushie?"

Iruka laughs, "I can definitely answer that. You know that Naruto was orphaned shortly after he was born right?" When Sasuke nods Iruka continues, "Unlike most orphans his caretakers didn't show him any affection, they only indulged him the minimum of contact for his survival, nothing more. He was ignored, or worse, verbally and emotionally abused. Those who were caught were punished but it didn't stop the others. I think you have an idea where I'm going with this by now." Iruka looks up at Sasuke for confirmation.

Sasuke hesitates, mood dark, and then grits out, "You're saying that I was lucky that I had a loving family before. . ."

"Perhaps. They say that you can't miss something you've never had but. . ." Iruka scowls, "I don't believe that counts for affection. Nowhere in his past does he remember anyone being truly kind to him, I asked. In short Naruto is starved for attention and affection, of any sort, even negative. And he clings as tightly as possible to anyone who satisfies his need. Apparently you, in his rather skewed definition, showed him some sort of kindness."

"Wonderful." The sarcasm drips from Sasuke's tone. He squirms in Naruto's loose embrace.

Iruka's eyes glitter with humor, "Don't worry. I'm sure he won't do it when he's fully awake and healed. He's a little too proud for that."

Sasuke lets out a put upon sigh, "He had better not." After a pause he frowns, "And you dodged my first question."

Hand straying to tug at his ponytail Iruka blushes, "I suppose it was too much to hope that you'd let me get away with it." Becoming stern he continues, "I can't tell you much, I only know because I was involved in the incident. But Mizuki apparently intended to defect to another village and attempted to use Naruto as a decoy so he could make his escape."

"He took advantage of Naruto wanting attention?"

"Yes. I think Naruto is more upset about that than anything else." With a small, proud smile Iruka continues, "But Naruto was able to stop him, pretty much on his own, and Mizuki was captured. And last night he escaped and decided to take revenge on Naruto."

"But if Mizuki was a traitor shouldn't he have been executed?" Sasuke frowns, "Traitors are too much of a risk to be allowed to live for any extended period of time. My father said that the procedure. . ." Sasuke trails off.

"I don't know but there must have been a reason." Iruka pauses to look Sasuke over critically, "But why the sudden interest in Naruto?"

Sasuke shrugs, attempting to look nonchalant, "We will be forced to work together on missions. If our team is to be effective I need to know his weaknesses and strengths." The rest of his comment isn't intended for Iruka to hear but Iruka catches it, "I'd rather work alone. Others are just going to hold me back."

"Naruto has a lot more to him than you think, Sasuke. Don't discount him so quickly, he's full of surprises." Iruka pauses contemplatively, "You may find that Naruto does the exact opposite of holding you back." Leaning forward Iruka whispers, "I'll tell you a secret. Naruto has a real talent for learning jutsu when he applies himself, even difficult ones. He just needs a reason to apply himself."

Sasuke looks doubtful but nods, "I'll keep that in mind." With that he wriggles out of Naruto's hold and leaves quietly.

Naruto, frowning in his sleep, reaches out and searches for Sasuke. When he encounters nothing his eyes slowly open and he yawns, barely wincing, 'Iruka-sensei? How'd I end up here?' He rolls into the warm spot left by Sasuke with a contented look on his face, 'Were you on the bed?'

Iruka blinks, "I'm not that good at reading lips, could you repeat that?"

Looking much more awake Naruto sits up and pulls out the notepad. –How'd I get here and who was on the bed?-

"Ah. Your teammates brought you. And Sasuke just left." Iruka chuckles at Naruto's mortified expression then lets out a little sound of remembrance, "Oh! Hokage-sama wanted me to give these to you. Sign-language, codes and some jutsu you might find useful." He hands over the scrolls and books.

With a look of childlike glee on his features Naruto looks through the scrolls, Iruka watching with mixed amusement and pride. After a few minutes Naruto frowns. -These are all stealth and concealment jutsu. . .-

Iruka tsks, "You never pay attention in class. It's important to play up your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. Now that. . ." Iruka coughs, "you know. You always failed stealth exercises because of your tendency to be loud. Now that you have lost your voice you can capitalize on that and become much better at stealth. It is a cornerstone to being an effective ninja. Hokage-sama picked these jutsu out specifically for you. Because you mastered Kage Bunshin you have the chakra to master these." He pauses, "Though, it will be more difficult than Kage Bunshin given your record with some of the genjutsu we've studied."

Naruto scribbles again. –But why would I want to master stealth? I've always done just fine with what I know.-

Iruka laughs, "But with stealth jutsu in combination with your other jutsu just imagine what you could do. For example take this jutsu, Chameleon no jutsu. Use Kage Bunshin and create several clones. Send one out as a decoy and have the others use this jutsu to hide and sneak up on your opponent. See?"

Naruto nods. –I get it. I'll learn them all!- Iruka chuckles at Naruto's intensity but Naruto is already scribbling a note. –Iruka-sensei? We're going to have to go through a test, Survival training, and I need to pass it! I promised Sakura-chan and Sasuke that I wouldn't fail. But. . . I'm really bad at tests.-

For a moment Iruka is wistful and then he sighs, "I remember Survival training from my own days as a genin. But I'm afraid I can't help you. Each jounin sensei has their own way of testing their students and I don't know the way you will be tested."

–There must be something!-

"I can tell you this. In order to be a genin you should have knowledge of all the basics of ninjitsu. Taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu. Detecting and setting up traps. And, of course, stealth." Iruka ruffles Naruto's hair comfortingly, "Don't worry. You won't be expected to know a lot of complicated jutsu, just be able to recognize them and use the ones taught in academy in real life situations. Most genjutsu and ninjutsu are beyond genin level anyway. And your taijutsu is at genin level. Your stealth and trap detection abilities however. . ." Naruto cringes but Iruka continues, "Different sensei put emphasis on different skills. And there is one thing common to all tests that you must figure out for yourself." Seeing Naruto's expression Iruka puts on a smile, "Don't worry! You've all just graduated. You won't be expected to be perfect or measure up to your sensei."

Naruto frowns again. –Are you sure? Our sensei is. . . weird.-

"Relax! If you get all nervous before the test you won't pass." Iruka glances at the clock, "But for now you should rest. You need to heal up before you even think about tests and missions."

Naruto nods and burrows under the covers, grudgingly accepting a pat and kiss on the head. Iruka smiles and slips out the door, "Night, Naruto. I'll visit again tomorrow."  
. . .

In the moonlight Naruto stands up off the floor shakily and goes through a complicated set of hand seals, mouthing, 'Chameleon no jutsu!' For a moment his body shimmers and seems to fade into the background but it quickly re-appears. Looking frustrated and exhausted he forms the seals again. This time he stays concealed for several minutes and he shimmers into view wearing a faded smile, 'Think. . . I. . . did. . . it.' With that he tumbles to the floor again, this time jerking the I.V. out and dislodging a small paper with various symbols inscribed on it. Moment's later the head medic and a flustered nurse rush into the room.

When he sees Naruto's state the medic sighs, "Ninja. Too stubborn for their own good."

The nurse picks up the unconscious boy, missing one blue eye slide open a fraction, and settles him in the bed, "Well, at least we know the alarm works properly."  
. . .

In the dim light of very early morning Naruto stumbles into the training grounds, waving a hello to Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke looks Naruto over quickly, a faint flicker of worry in his eyes, "If we fail because of you. . ." He lets the threat trail off with a badly hidden yawn. Naruto smiles weakly and Sakura merely yawns in response. Greetings over they settle in to wait.  
. . .

As the sun rises towards its zenith the three genin still remain, waiting. Sakura slumps over her pack pointedly refusing to look at the two boys. Sasuke sits calmly on the ground but his expression is one of faint annoyance and boredom mixed in with exhaustion. Naruto on the other hand is curled up contentedly next to Sasuke, sound asleep. Sasuke looking up at the sky, frowns and glances down at Naruto, struggling to stop another yawn. With a small annoyed mutter about insomnia he lays down, resting his head on Naruto's side, "Why not. . ." When the blond squirms a little Sasuke snorts, "If you get to use me as a plushie I get to use you as a pillow." Sakura blushes and frowns, sending a scathing glare at Naruto. Sasuke, looking annoyed at her, half snarls, "Would you quite acting like that? If you want you can use Naruto as a pillow too. I'm sure he won't mind."

Sakura blushes and covers up a yawn, "But Sasuke-kun. . ." When Sasuke glares she subsides and with a shrug snuggles up next to them, settling an arm around Sasuke's waist with a little giggle. Sasuke growls briefly but doesn't object otherwise. Naruto curls around his teammates but doesn't wake.  
. . .

Kakashi arrives at the training grounds near noon, walking up to the sleeping trio silently. They lie in a pile, nestled together like a litter of puppies. Behind the mask his mouth curves into a smile and he murmurs to himself, "Heh. Cute. But allowing themselves to be caught unawares like that—" He jerks to the side to dodge the kunai thrown by a just woken Naruto, whose eyes are wide with remembered fear. From his position curled up against Naruto's stomach Sasuke glares at Kakashi from beneath his bangs.

Sakura extracts herself from the tangle and jumps to her feet, face red with embarrassment, "You're late!" Naruto scrambles to his feet beside her but Sasuke slowly stands looking as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

Kakashi raises a hand, "Yo, morning. I'm sorry but a black cat crossed my path and. . ." he trails off seeing the un-amused faces staring back at him. "Well then." Pulling out an alarm he sets it on a log, "Alarm set for noon. When I say 'ready, start.' the test begins." There is a jingle of bells and Kakashi remarks amiably, "The object is to get one of these bells from me before the time expires. Anyone who fails will be tied to the logs and have to watch the rest of us eat lunch." After a pause he continues, "They also fail to complete the mission and get sent back to the academy."

Sakura, looking worried, speaks up, "But sensei, there are only two bells."

"That way one will definitely fail. It may only be one of you or it may be all three." Kakashi attaches the bells to his waist, "By the way, you are free to use shuriken and any techniques you believe will be to your advantage. None of you will get a bell if you don't come at me with killing intent." When none of the three make a comment he shrugs, "Very well. Ready, start!"

In a flash all three disappear. Kakashi looks around, stance relaxed, "Good. Everyone is hidden nicely—" With a slightly disappointed tone entering his voice he turns to face the figure perched on a small rise, "Naruto. . . Your tactics are a little strange. . ."

Face hard and determined Naruto glares down at Kakashi for a moment. He mouths, 'Now. A fair fight!' before rushing Kakashi, fist pulled back.

Kakashi sighs, "First lesson. Taijutsu." Countering his statement he reaches for his weapon pouch. Naruto skids and leaps to the side before coming at Kakashi again, hardly pausing when the weapon reveals itself as a book. Kakashi blocks Naruto's first punch without trying and eyes narrowing in frustration Naruto tries again, and again. Each move is blocked and his attacks become wilder, more off balance.

Suddenly there is nothing in the direction of his punch and Kakashi's voice comes from behind him, "You let your enemy get behind you too often."

Out of the bushes to the left Sakura's voice cries, "Run, Naruto! You'll be killed!" Naruto doesn't move from his position but his mouth twists into a smirk as Kakashi announces his technique.

Naruto flies up into the air and Kakashi smirks through the mask. A moment later his smirk turns to confusion as Naruto disappears from midair with a pop and a cloud of smoke. Before Kakashi can move he is forcibly restrained by an invisible object wrapping around him. His eye widens as he notices the shimmering at the edges of his restraint, "Chameleon no jutsu? How—?" Sensing something Kakashi jerks to the side and kicks out.

Naruto shimmers into view, fingers just brushing a bell, and then puffs into smoke as he flies back from the force of the kick. A second later another Naruto, swaying noticeably, also shimmers into view, this time proudly holding up one of the bells, jingling merrily from his fingers. But before he can bask in triumph the bell becomes a twig and Kakashi a log. Frowning he collapses to his knees and the nearly invisible Narutos holding the log puff out of existence.  
. . .

Sasuke, crouched on a branch, frowns as he observes the scene, "Those weren't normal bunshin. . . and that other jutsu!" Pulling out several kunai and shuriken he mutters, "But Kakashi-sensei. . . So this is a jounin."  
. . .

Kakashi frowns through the mask as he checks the trip wires and ropes from his vantage point in another tree, "That Naruto. Managing two extremely difficult jutsu as badly injured as he is. . ." His frown deepens when Naruto collapses to his side. "I should have insisted on waiting."

Down on the ground Naruto lifts his head to look blurrily up at Kakashi. Weakly he tries to get to his feet but only makes it to his knees before curling up and coughing. Kakashi takes a step forward, "Naruto. . ."

The five Narutos suddenly springing up around Kakashi grin tiredly and mouth, 'Yes?' before springing into the attack, joined by the Naruto on the ground.

Kakashi takes a hurried step back, defending himself against the attack and sending two clones into smoke puffs, "A ruse. . ." He dispatches another clone then exclaims in surprise at a sudden jerk.

Another Naruto, shimmering into sight, mouths, 'No. A trap.' as he sails by, holding a bell clutched in his hand. The impact with the ground a moment later causes Naruto to jerk with pain and the bell, dislodged by the jolt, rolls across the ground. The remaining clones leap for it but Kakashi is faster, grabbing it as he comes out from a quick roll and coming to his feet, stance completely relaxed.

Affixing the bell to his waist again Kakashi shakes his head, "Traps are useless if you can't follow through on the advantage they give you. Just planning out the trap isn't enough. But I suppose your performance is to be expected from the worst student in your class." With a jerk Kakashi turns, "Wha—?" Before he can even finish the sentence he is impaled by several kunai and shuriken. Naruto attempts to shout but ends up on his knees, coughing up blood. A second later there is another pop and Kakashi is replaced by a log.  
. . .

Iruka knocks on the office door, "Hokage-sama! Naruto escaped again! I went to check on him during my break but—!"

The Hokage sighs, "I know. Kakashi informed me that he would be holding the Survival training for his team today rather than waiting. Apparently Naruto insisted."

"But Hokage-sama!"

The old man rests his chin on his hands, "I know, Iruka. But Naruto needs to learn his limits. If he learns them now he is less likely to get himself killed by disregarding them later. Besides, I'm sure Kakashi will take Naruto's injuries into account if necessary."

Iruka, mollified, nods, "Well then. . ." He fidgets for a moment, "About this Kakashi. . ."

"You've heard the rumors about him then?" The Hokage hands Iruka a book, "They're true. Kakashi's pass/fail records."

Glancing through the book Iruka's eyes widen, "He's really failed everyone!"

The Hokage sighs, "Even I don't know if those three are ready to face being ninja, especially Sasuke and now Naruto. And Kakashi has always made the correct decision in the past. Failing may be difficult for them but the alternative could be much, much worse."  
. . .

Sasuke dashes through the dappled shadows, face grim, "Damn. I fell for his trap. He let me see his guard apparently down in order to find my location. Does he have no weak points?" He skids to a stop when he hears a feminine scream, "He must have gotten Sakura as well."  
. . .

Naruto gets to his feat shakily, holding his hand to his head. 'Dizzy. Need to sit down for a sec.' With wobbly steps he makes his way towards the base of the nearby tree, clearly intending to rest in its shade. When he makes it to the base of the tree, however, there is a twang and he is hoisted up into the air by his ankles.  
. . .

Scowling Sasuke approaches Kakashi, "You won't have such an easy time with me as the others."

Unconcerned Kakashi retorts, "Say that after you've gotten a bell." With ease he dodges the flurry of shuriken but his eye widens as Sasuke smirks and throws a single kunai. The sprung trap forces him to dodge towards Sasuke, in perfect range for Sasuke's next attack.

Sasuke throws a punch, followed immediately by a kick. Kakashi manages to block both but has difficulty with the second kick that flips Sasuke upside down. His hands occupied he almost looses a bell to Sasuke's reaching fingers. After he shoves Sasuke away he grudgingly admits, "Your skills are much better than Sakura's and more refined than Naruto's but that still won't change anything." Instead of replying Sasuke goes through a sequence of seals and Kakashi clearly looks surprised, "No genin should have enough chakra for that jutsu!"

"Katon: Goukyaku no jutsu!" The place Kakashi is standing becomes enveloped in a massive fireball and Sasuke smirks lightly as he lets the flames fade. When the smoke clears though, Sasuke looks around in worry, "Where! Above? Left?" With a startled sound Sasuke is pulled down by Kakashi ending up buried in the ground up to his chin.

Kakashi smirks and pats Sasuke on the head, "Stay there for a bit and think." Humming cheerily he walks off.  
. . .

Naruto opens his eyes slowly, blinking twice at Sasuke's blurry face. Sasuke rolls his eyes, "Took you long enough to wake up, usaratonkachi. I can't believe you fell for such an obvious trap." Sasuke backs away allowing Naruto to sit up.

'What. . .' Naruto looks around, finally noticing Sakura tied to the post. 'Sakura-chan!' He winces and grabs at his throat.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "When are you going to remember that you shouldn't try to speak right now?"

Looking around Naruto mouths. 'How? Why?' He nods in Sakura's direction.

Kakashi, coming out from behind, comments idly, "Sakura failed to even touch one of the bells. Therefore she is the one tied to the post as both you and Sasuke at least managed that." He hands bento boxes to the boys, "But good news; none of you will have to go back to the academy." He waits for a moment, taking in the excitement on their faces and continues, "You should all quit being ninja! You all missed the point of this test completely."

Sakura, looking longingly at the food, snaps, "Well. What is it then?"

"Why do you think you were put in a three man team?" When the three look at him blankly he continues, "Teamwork. And you three were pathetic. You, Naruto, worked completely on your own not even thinking about the others. You, Sakura, were clearly more concerned with Sasuke, whom who didn't even know where he was, than Naruto who you could have helped. Sasuke, you also acted alone assuming that the others weren't worth working with, even though you saw how well Naruto did. Had you three worked together you could have gotten a bell or two."

"But sensei! There were only two bells! You were pitting us against one another! How do you expect us to work together when one of us would have to give up a chance at becoming a genin!" Sakura struggles angrily against the ropes.

"That's the point." Kakashi sighs, "This test prioritizes working together for the good of the group in spite of personal sacrifice. Ninja work in teams and acting without teamwork endangers not only the mission but your teammates as well." Kakashi turns and walks towards a black stone monument tracing his fingers over a name carved into the stone, "Your teammates should be your most important friends, close as family. You have to take care of them." The statement is almost spoken to himself and there is a long silence before Naruto tugs at Kakashi's sleeve.

Looking curious Naruto mouths, 'What is this?'

"A cenotaph. The names of heroes are carved here, those killed in the line of duty. My friends are on this stone." Looking down at Naruto Kakashi straightens, "I've decided to give you three another chance. After lunch you can try for the bells again but the task will be much more difficult." He walks off, "Oh, and don't give Sakura anything to eat. After her pathetic performance she doesn't deserve it. Break the rules and you will fail." With that he disappears.

Sasuke sighs and starts eating, "We need to come up with a plan."

Naruto nods, staring at his own untouched food. Moments later both boys look up as Sakura's stomach rumbles. After a moment of contemplation Naruto stands up and lifts some rice to her lips. Sakura glances around worriedly, "Naruto! Sensei said. . . If he sees. . ."

Naruto smiles brightly. 'I'm taking care of my teammate. That's what this test is about right?'

Sakura stares hard at Naruto's lips, attempting to figure out what he's saying, "But you'll fail."

'As long as you're ok. . . I'll just become a ninja a little late, that's all.'

Sasuke, watching the exchange closely, chimes in, "Naruto is right. If you don't eat you'll be weakened and that will jeopardize the team. Besides I don't sense him around anywhere. We should be ok if we hurry."

Sakura takes the offered bite and frowns when Naruto holds up another, "But Naruto, what about you? You should eat too." Naruto just shakes his head and smiles.

She is about to take another bite when Kakashi appears out of nowhere looking furious. "You three! You broke the rules! Prepare for punishment!"

Naruto turns and starts to yell but collapses to the ground grabbing his throat. Sasuke is at his side steadying him instantly, glaring at Kakashi, "We're a three man team right?"

Sakura pipes up, "Yeah! We three are one!"

"'We three are one,' huh?" Kakashi steps forward and suddenly leans down, clearly smiling through the mask, "You pass!"

All three look up in confusion and Sakura speaks up, "Huh? Why?"

"Ninja who break the rules are called scum but those who don't take care of their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi grins, "You three are the first. All the others just listened to what I said and didn't think for themselves. You pass!" He pauses to wait for the mini-celebration to die down, "However. . ."

Sasuke turns a very faint worried look on Kakashi, "What?"

"Because of Naruto's injuries we won't be able to complete any missions." Kakashi continues quickly, addressing Naruto, "And don't complain to me. The Hokage assigns missions and he has refused to assign us any until you have been given a clean bill of health from the hospital." Kakashi pulls out a stack of paper, "But. . . I have prepared some training we can all do while we wait." He hands the papers out to Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura blinks, looking over Sasuke's shoulder as he leafs through the papers, "Sign-language? Codes? What is this for?"

Naruto looks away, hand touching his throat, and Kakashi speaks, sounding concerned, "Naruto's vocal chords were irreparably damaged. So in order to communicate effectively you three will need to learn new methods." Sakura looks shocked, tears gathering in her eyes and Sasuke frowns, tentatively reaching out to squeeze Naruto's shoulder in a supportive gesture but he stops half way and pulls back, scowling. Kakashi smiles at the three, "So, we'll meet tomorrow in Naruto's hospital room at 7 A.M. to work on things. Let's go."

Naruto smiles at Sasuke and together they untie Sakura before following. Sakura gives Naruto a very quick, sisterly hug and attempts to give Sasuke a longer one but he shrugs her off. Then they both scramble to catch Naruto as he collapses.  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"There. End of chapter four. Next chapter starts the first big arc! But for now, leave me some reviews. Ja ne!"

Review responses:

Thanks to: Hitomi No Ryu, vampchic, YJ, silverfox, moonprincess90, Kyuubi-kun, quiche, blisblop, tiggra, wolvesm0on, Princess Kitana, OOF, Ndigo, D-sama, GorunNova, Aznkendoboy124, Crimson Skies, Kyuzo, Dairokkan, MysteryLady-Tx, chinadoll27, BigAznDaddy99, Cayasha, Shinadagami

To Shadow117: Thank you for the review. As for Sakura, I quite like her but I have no intention of glorifying her and reducing her faults. And unfortunately, which you said yourself, she would have acted similarly to the way I wrote her at the beginning of the series. Of course, not being the creator of Naruto I can't get her exactly perfect. . . I might have overdone it just a bit but I honestly don't think by much. But fans of Sakura shouldn't worry too much. She'll get her epiphany!haircut soon enough.

To Yum: Thanks for the review, and the thing about commas. Hopefully my comma use will improve as a result. As for Naruto's reaction. . . Well he would have acted more violently if he hadn't tried to shout and ended up in extreme pain (though he wouldn't have attempted to take off the mask). And Sakura was too busy moping about Sasuke to notice the masks being the same. After all Naruto only has the mask pulled up to his chin so the similarity isn't readily seen.

To Jennifer: Thanks for the wonderful review! Fan art? Really? I'd love to see some fan art for this. Glad you like the story enough to contemplate some.

To Ruby Soul: Thank you for the review. And Sasuke. . . In hindsight the petting (and the pillow) probably was a bit much, though it does become important that it is one of the things that help cements the idea of Sasuke and Naruto being in a relationship in Sakura's mind. Sasuke should become more withdrawn and true to canon in upcoming chapters. The shock of having someone nearly dying (in his mind at least) on him and the reluctant feeling of duty to help out an injured comrade should fade as Naruto heals.


	6. Conspiracy Theory

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

-written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Random fic Rec: If you are a fan of Naru/Sasu, and haven't read this fic yet, I recommend "Lace and Strawberries" by Asuka Kureru (It can be found at AdultFanfiction. net). I found it very appealing. So appealing that I even paid homage to it, briefly, in this chapter.

Cyber-"The beginning of the first arc of the story! Hurrah! Now off we go!"

Hush

Chapter 5

Conspiracy Theory

Sakura yawns slightly as she walks down the street, holding the papers loosely in her hands. As she passes a flower shop though, she is stopped by a voice calling out to her.

"Sakura!" Ino rushes out the door, "How are things? Did you guys pass the test?"

Sakura gives her a cool look, "Yes."

Ino grins, "Wonderful! So you're heading out for your first day of missions then? It's so exciting, isn't it?" She frowns, "Even though I got stuck with Shikamaru and Chouji. . ." She elbows Sakura playfully, "So tell me about Sasuke-kun and Naruto! Catch any special moments between them?"

"Sasuke-kun. . ." Sakura sniffs, "Sasuke-kun said that Naruto uses him as a plushie!"

Ino grins, "Ooh. I'd pay to see that." She pauses thoughtfully, "You know, at first I was upset about it but now that it's settled in. . . Sasuke-kun and Naruto go well with each other. Like the sun and the moon or something." Ino squeals with delight, "Really, two cute boys cuddling or holding hands! So sweet!"

"It's not sweet, it's horrible! I've lost Sasuke-kun forever and, and all I did was faint yesterday and Naruto and. . ." Sakura pauses in her rant, "Two cute boys? Naruto isn't. . ."

Ino turns on her, raising an eyebrow, "Haven't you gotten a look at Naruto since we graduated? He's. . . adorable! Not nearly as cute as Sasuke-kun but he's going to grow up to be so hot! Too bad he's Sasuke-kun's. . . Anyway since he got rid of that hideous orange thing and quieted down you can really notice how nice looking he is." She pauses, "Surprising really. I don't remember hearing him speak at all during the explanatory meeting. Sasuke-kun must be rubbing off on him."

"He can't. . ."

"Can't?" Ino looks puzzled, "Who can't what?"

Sakura drags her into a small ally, "Naruto can't speak. I probably shouldn't tell you this; Naruto didn't seem to want anyone to find out."

"What! How?"

"Mizuki-sensei attacked him, cut his throat, and now he can't speak." Sakura bites her lip, "I feel so bad for him. I overheard Sasuke-kun and Iruka-sensei talking about Naruto's childhood day before yesterday. It sounded horrible. . . how Naruto was neglected and abused and how he's so starved for any sort of attention that he'd. . ." Sakura wipes away stray tears, "I know why Sasuke-kun scolded me for complaining about my parents now."

Ino swallows, "I feel like such a horrible person now for treating Naruto so badly all this time."

"Why Ino?" Sakura looks at her closely, "All the adults seem to hate Naruto, my mother, your father, just about everyone's parents really. Mizuki-sensei hated him enough to try and kill him! Sure he is, was, annoying and played pranks but that's just because he was so lonely and wanted attention. There's no reason. . ."

"You're right. I'll ask Asuma-sensei today, maybe he knows." Ino frowns, "It just isn't right."

"Ask what?" The boy leaning against the corner of the building frowns, the puppy in his arms whining.

"Kiba!" Sakura shrieks in surprise. After a moment she asks, "Do your parents hate Naruto?"

Kiba tilts his head, "Hmm. Well, I wouldn't say they hated Naruto but they definitely don't like him, or trust him, at all. I never could figure out why. I'm almost as bad with pranks and stuff as he is and my mother tends to laugh at them more than scold me, unless I do something really dangerous. My sister too." He blinks, "Why you asking?"

"Ino and I were trying to figure out a reason that all the adults hate Naruto. So far we've come up with nothing." Sakura frowns, "It's not right. Naruto isn't bad at all. . . now that I actually look at him. He even gave me his lunch yesterday."

Kiba shrugs, "Heh. I'll ask Kurenai-sensei. Maybe she knows. But I've got to go. I'm going to be late for our team meeting. I was supposed to meet everybody on the steps outside Hokage tower at 7."

Ino gasps, "Damn! I'm going to be late too!"

Sakura cries out in dismay, "Oh no! I was supposed to be at the hospital five minutes ago!"

"Hospital?" Ino and Kiba chorus, wearing identical looks of confusion. A moment later Ino claps her hand over her mouth, "oh!"

Sakura, in response to Kiba's confusion, throws over her shoulder as she takes off, "Mizuki-sensei tried to kill Naruto! But don't tell anybody."  
. . .

"Yo. Kurenai-sensei. Sorry I'm late." Kiba waves, "Hinata, Shino." The other two genin nod in response.

Kurenai crosses her arms, "Do you have a reason?"

Kiba nods, "Found out Naruto is in the hospital. . ." After a moment's indecision he asks, "Do you know why everybody hates him? I could never figure it out."

For several minutes there is silence as Kurenai looks away, refusing to make eye contact or speak. Then she glares at Kiba, "Don't be late again. Now, our first mission. . ."

Kiba starts to say something but a hand on his arm and a head shake from Shino quiets him.  
. . .

Ino rushes up to Shikamaru and Chouji, wincing as a bearded man steps out of the shadows, "Sorry I'm late, Asuma-sensei. I was talking to Sakura about Naruto being in the hospital. Mizuki-sensei tried to kill him!"

Chouji drops his chips and Shikamaru's eyes widen slightly before he sighs, "How troublesome." Asuma frowns and lights a cigarette.

Looking determined Ino marches up to Asuma, "Asuma-sensei, everyone hates Naruto. Tell me why."

Asuma blows out smoke then stubs the cigarette against the wall, "Alright team. Let's move out."

"Asuma-sensei! You didn't answer my question!" Ino fumes and Shikamaru groans.

Without turning around Asuma murmurs, "You're getting in over your head with this. Don't pursue it."  
. . .

Sakura rushes into the hospital room looking slightly harried. She stops dead at the scene before her and blushes. Iruka again occupies the lone chair by the bed and Sasuke sits next to Naruto at the head of the bed, the tight space wedging them close together. Both boys have looks of concentration on their faces as they copy the hand signs Iruka is showing them.

Iruka nods, "That's good. Now try these again, it's Sasuke's name." He goes through a short series of signs. Sasuke repeats them carefully and gets them right but Naruto messes up in the middle and frowns. Iruka shows him the signs again emphasizing the missed sign, "It's Sa_su_ke not Sa_ki_."

Sasuke smirks, "You can't even get my name right, dobe."

Naruto gives Sasuke the finger and turns back to the hand signs. A moment later he catches sight of Sakura and waves cheerily before forming a series of signs. /Sakura-chan/

Sakura moves into the room, looking a little puzzled. Iruka explains, "That's your name, Sakura. Or rather it's Sakura-chan. Naruto got it very quickly but he can't seem to manage Sasuke." Iruka stands up, "Anyway I should be leaving for work now so you can have the chair." He waves goodbye and walks out.

Sakura settles in the chair, fidgeting nervously, "So. . . umm. What have you learned so far?"

Sasuke sighs, "Hello, goodbye, yes, no and our names. And chan because Naruto insisted."

Sakura smiles brightly, the smile only a little faked, and asks, "So, can you show me Sasuke-kun?"  
. . .

Kakashi sighs and rubs his thumb over the names in the worn stone, "Well Obito, Sensei, I should be going now. My team will be waiting." He chuckles sadly as if in response to a comment, "And don't worry, I'll take care of them. Especially Sasuke and Naruto."  
. . .

Sakura, nibbling on some rice, fidgets, "Sasuke-kun. . ." She swallows, "I've been wondering. Why don't you like me? I've tried so hard. Tell me the truth, everything."

Naruto perks up and Sasuke scowls, "You're weak. You have no dedication. You spend time fawning over me that you should be spending training to improve yourself. You're annoying." Naruto glares and elbows Sasuke in the ribs as Sakura's eyes well up with tears. Sasuke, looking annoyed, continues, "But you're my teammate. Get rid of your faults and I will. . . respect you."

Sakura, looking stricken, wipes her eyes, "Alright. I'll do it."

Naruto smiles and scribbles on his pad, -And I'll help any way I can! We'll be the best team ever!-

"Yo." Kakashi strolls in casually, "Morning."

"You're late! It's after noon!" Sakura scowls then pauses, remembering something, "Anyway. I have a question. Everyone, all of the adults, hate Naruto. There must be a reason. Do you know?" Naruto visibly flinches and Sasuke gives him a worried look.

Kakashi remains still, his frown barely disturbing the mask. After several moments he says cheerily, "I'm an adult and I don't hate Naruto."

Sasuke frowns, "Sakura is right. I've been wondering why all of the older ninja in the village hate Naruto too. I think you know."

Kakashi scowls for a split second then shrugs, "Can't say."

"But Sensei!"

"I _can't_ say." Kakashi stresses the can't and then continues as if nothing happened, "Anyway, what have you three learned so far?"  
. . .

The Hokage looks over his desk at Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma, "Yes? Is there trouble with your teams?" His question is clearly just a formality by its tone.

Kurenai starts, voice worried, "Today Kiba asked me out of the blue why everyone hated Naruto! It's against the law to even hint at the reason. I had no idea what to say."

"Ino did the same thing." Asuma frowns, "I tried to warn her off but she's a stubborn girl. I'm worried she'll get herself in trouble if she continues on this."

"I'm worried about their reaction if any of the younger ones find out." Kurenai adds.

Kakashi chimes in, "Sakura is also asking, and Sasuke. I don't think either will give up on this."

"What do we do, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai's voice is strained, looking for support.

The Hokage chuckles, "This is actually a good thing. If the children are questioning their elders the cycle of hate may be broken." Taking in the looks from the three assembled jounin he sighs, "As to what to do. . . The law is still in effect. If they discover the truth or Naruto decides to tell them himself all we can do is help them form a true opinion of Naruto's heroism." He looks around the room mildly, "Is there anything else?"  
. . .

A faint blush covering her cheeks, Hinata peeks into the hospital room, "N-Naruto-kun?" her voice is quiet, barely a whisper.

Naruto looks up from studying a scroll. He smiles and waves her in. The shy girl advances into the room holding a vase with several miniature sunflowers. She puts them on the small stand beside the bed, blushing at Naruto's bright smile, and fidgets, looking down at the ground. The silence in the room deepens and stretches.

Naruto tilts his head, smile fading. He picks up a scroll from the pile scattered on the bed and studies it for several minutes, repeatedly glancing at Hinata who several times looks like she is about to say something but remains silent. Satisfied with the scroll, Naruto sets it down on the bed and very carefully, and slowly, forms several hand signs. /Thank you, Hi/ Naruto pauses to look at the scroll again/Hinata-chan./ Short sentence complete Naruto rests his hands on the covers, grinning proudly.

Hinata looks at Naruto with shock. She starts to say something but stops just as quickly, fiddling with her fingers and blushing again. Naruto waits for a moment then rolls his eyes, grabbing his notepad. –Sit. Hinata-chan.- Hinata just blinks at him, blush deepening. Naruto frowns, trying to make his expression gentle and not quite pulling it off. –Sit down. Please. Go on.- Finally Hinata sits stiffly in the chair keeping her head down.

The silence stretches out again, Naruto becoming increasingly annoyed. He taps his pencil on the notepad to get Hinata's attention and scribbles out a note. –You're too quiet. Say something, please.-

"Na-Naruto-kun, I. . ." Hinata stalls and fidgets again.

Naruto rubs his head. –Do I scare you? Is that why. . .- He bites his lip nervously.

"N-No! I. . ."

Flashing her with a bright smile, Naruto presents her with another note. –Then say something! I know you can do it!-

Hinata blushes deeply and stutters for a moment before managing to say, "I. . . Umm, that was sign language?"

Naruto grins encouragingly. –Yeah. I'm learning it.- Hinata nods and looks down again, apparently afraid to say something. Naruto fidgets for a minute and begins to write. –You're probably wondering why I'm in here right? So. . . Mizuki-sensei-bastard tried to kill me and he cut my throat. So I can't talk anymore. But it's ok because I'm learning sign language and stuff and I'm still a ninja!- Upon seeing her distraught expression in response to reading his note he quickly scribbles, -Don't cry, Hinata-chan. I'm fine. I even get to start on missions as soon as I get released. And Iruka-sensei says that I'll be able to get a lot better at stealth and stuff now. So what if I can't talk! It's really annoying but I can deal with it and besides I've got other people who can talk for me. Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan and Sasuke. . . Though Sasuke doesn't talk much.-

Hinata looks like she wants to say something but blushes and fidgets some more. Naruto patiently sits and waits for her to speak. After several minutes though his patience wares thin and the pencil begins to tap against his thigh. Finally Hinata looks up, still not quite making eye contact, and blushing deep crimson stutters out, "I-I. . . I want to, to talk for you too, N-Naruto-kun!" After she gets the sentence out she deflates a little, looking relieved.

Naruto brightens. –Really? That's great, Hinata-chan!- His expression becomes teasing as he scribbles his next sentence. –But you should talk more for yourself before you talk for me. You're so shy and quiet. Lots of times nobody probably even knows you're there. Speak up a bit. Speak out and stand up for yourself and show everybody what a cool person you are!-

"You really think so?" Hinata's voice is so quiet that Naruto has to lean closer to hear her.

He grins. –Sure! It never hurts to be loud once and a while. It makes people notice you. Be bold Hinata-chan! You can do it! You can even practice on me if you want.-

Hinata blushes and whispers, "I. . . ok."

'Come on. You can be louder than that.' Naruto mouths the words and grasps her hand, gently squeezing. 'Try it. Nice and loud!'

"Ok!" Hinata blushes and looks surprised at the sudden volume of her voice.

Naruto, however grins broadly in victory. 'See? You did it!' He grabs the notepad and scribbles on a clean page before ripping it out and handing it to her. 'Here. Maybe this'll help. I write myself notes all the time to remind me of things.'

Hinata takes the note and reads it, blushing. –Hinata-chan, I know you're strong under all that shyness. Go out and show the world how strong you are! Naruto- Even redder than before Hinata stutters out, "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto squeezes her hand and mock frowns. 'Remember! You can be louder than that!'

"Thank, Thank you, Naruto-kun." Naruto looks quite pleased with her improvement and Hinata manages a small smile through her blush. Her smile falters a moment later as Naruto yawns, followed immediately by a wince and a cough. Biting her lips she whispers, "You must be. . ." She stops and clutching Naruto's note repeats more loudly, "You must be tired. I'll go now." Naruto nods and Hinata walks to the door, clutching the note close, "Bye, Naruto-kun."

Naruto waves happily/Bye! Hinata-chan/ 'See you around!'  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"That's the end of this chapter. Next chapter find out if Sakura, Ino and Kiba can start to solve the mystery surrounding Naruto! I hope to see reviews but until next chapter, ja ne!"

Review responses:

Thanks to: yukiko, Hitomi No Ryu, bookworm51485, SilentInquisition, Erika, Biokinetic, SWoD, Annoyance, vampchic, silverfox, no one nose, Emina, Mar, Temari's Fan, blisblop, Danny, Dairokkan, Cayasha, Turtle Kid, tiggra, Ruby Soul, MysteryLady-Tx, chinadoll27, Lyfe.exe, Princess Kitana, Lostlily, Delinka, ShadowCelest117, Skittles the Sugar Fairy, Tenshikoneko03, kawaiineziumi, Rosemarykiss, Christy, Dragon'sSword, Totaljammer, ginger tears, Satern Mya, bloodofakiller, hotohori's empress

To Yum: Thanks for the review. As to your questions. . . Kakashi didn't know who would be tied to the post and therefore had to have two meals prepared. And giving the meal to Naruto, well, he had his reasons and I'll let you all decide what they are. Remember, neither Sasuke or Sakura is aware that Naruto is incapable of eating right now, only that he is injured. And no, Naruto hasn't been getting food, other than a little water and such. The I.V. provides nutrients.

To thuyhy-thuyhy: Thanks for the review. And no, I am not Chinese. My FF .net screen-name was given to me by a Chinese-Canadian friend (though I have since come to doubt its authenticity) and that is why I use it.


	7. Changing and Plans: Part I

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Probably wouldn't be nearly as popular if it was anyway…

Summery: AU. Mizuki escapes confinement and his revenge on Naruto has disastrous consequences. What will happen when the loudest ninja in Konoha suddenly isn't anymore?

Warnings: Gore(especially prologue), violence, possible future Shounen-ai and/or Shoujo-ai. And het…

–written "speech"-

/sign language or other forms of code/

'mouthed words'

Cyber-"Without further ado, chapter 6! And the introduction of more villains!"

Hush

Chapter 6

Changing and Plans: Part I

The harried looking waitress sets the bottle of sake down on the table and scuttles off before the costumer has a chance to say anything. The large man chuckles at her fear and pours himself a cup. He takes a sip and nonchalantly rests his arm over the back of his chair while subtly taking in the other patrons, all keeping their distance from him. He starts to take another sip but a hand coming to rest on his shoulder makes him pause. He nods, the bell dangling from his hat jingling, "Itachi-san." Without another word he hands the newcomer a second cup.

The smaller man, dressed almost identically to the first, takes the cup and downs it quickly but doesn't sit in the offered chair. "We're leaving, Kisame."

"Alright." Kisame tosses some coins on the table and stands, adjusting the massive sword on his back. He falls into step with Itachi, "Where to this time?"

"Konoha."

Kisame's voice sounds faintly surprised, "So soon?"

Itachi turns to glare at a scantily dressed woman approaching them, red eyes almost glowing in the darkness, "I encountered a ninja who claimed to know the one who killed the kyuubi's vessel. Second hand information is unreliable."

"That does complicate things." Kisame smirks at the pouting woman, shifting ever so slightly closer to his companion, "And if the boy is actually dead?"

Itachi's shrug is barely seen. "Let's go." Kisame easily keeps pace with his sudden increase in speed, the two men clearing the bustling city in moments.  
. . .

Sakura pauses to take a breath of the perfumed air inside the flower shop. She smiles brightly at the woman behind the counter, "Is Ino here?"

The woman nods cheerily, "Nice to see you again Sakura-chan! Ino is in her room, she just got back. Why don't you head on up? I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san." Sakura walks to a small stairway and starts up.

The woman's voice floats up the stairs behind her, "No need to be so formal dear! You're like a second daughter to us."

Ino peeks out of a room at the top of the stairs. She rolls her eyes, "Mo—m! Don't embarrass my friends!" Grinning she ushers Sakura into the room, "Did your sensei tell you anything?"

Sakura shakes her head, "He said he couldn't."

"Asuma-sensei warned me not to pursue it." Ino sags against the door before stalking over to collapse on the bed, "And Kiba told me earlier that his sensei acted as if she hadn't even heard him. Whatever the reason it has to be some sort of big secret."

Sakura settles next to the blonde girl, "We'll just have to find out for ourselves." She bites her lip, "But right now. I'd like you to cut my hair, short."

Ino frowns and reaches out to run her hands through the pink strands, "But Sakura, you've worked so hard to get such nice long hair. It would be such a shame to cut it. I know how much time you spend on it each morning."

Sakura sniffs, "I know but I'm not going to have the time anymore. I have to get really serious about my training if I'm ever going to make Sasuke-kun even give me a second glance. He doesn't like me because I'm weak."

"Sakura. . ."

The pink haired girl shakes her head, "I'm not going to give up on Sasuke-kun."

"But Sakura!" Ino crosses her arms over her chest, "You shouldn't try to break them up. It's. . . It's shallow, that's what it is!"

"I'm not going to try to break them up. I'm not spiteful but. . ." Sakura blushes, "If I have to share Sasuke-kun with Naruto I'll share. Besides, I've been watching them this past week. Sometimes it looks like they could be together and just trying to hide it but. . . Sometimes. . ." She shakes her head, "I don't know. I'm pretty sure Naruto has a crush on me."

"Well you are the second prettiest girl in our class." Ino grins, "After me of course."

Sakura glares for a moment but then breaks out into simultaneous giggles along with Ino. After her laughter subsides she flops back on the bed, "Sometimes I wish I'd never fallen in love with Sasuke-kun. But I did and I'm not ready to give up on it yet." She sighs, looking pensively at a strand of her hair, "I think, maybe, if he would even like me at all, even as a friend, I could be content. But he doesn't like me. And I don't think he'll ever be interested in romance at all. So much for that dream."

Ino settles in next to Sakura, "Boys are slow like that. I swear, if Mom didn't occasionally lock him out of the bedroom or threaten him with kunai Dad would never do anything romantic. I know they love each other but. . . Well, Mom says that men think romance is making the person they love the first one they see when missions are over and spending quiet time just sitting beside them during breaks. Stuff like that."

"That's. . . umm. . ." Sakura tilts her head, "It isn't _unromantic._"

Ino smiles, "But it's not flowers and moonlit walks and declarations of love." She looks Sakura over critically, "So, you're really serious about this?"

"Yeah. Nothing will ever change if I don't. I know Sasuke-kun won't start liking me anytime soon. And he'll probably never love me like I want him to but whatever happens, happens." Sakura shrugs, "If nothing else I'll become a ninja everyone can be proud of. . . And I'll get to kick your ass, Ino-pig."

Ino snorts, "Don't think I'll be slacking off, forehead-girl! You'll never kick my ass!"

Sakura sits up, a wide grin splitting her face, "Wanna bet?"

"You're on!" Without warning Ino pounces on Sakura and starts an impromptu wrestling match. The girls wrestle amid shrieks and laughter but the match quickly ends when Ino manages to pin Sakura's arms above her head. She sticks out her tongue, "Muh! I win again!"

Sakura laughs breathlessly, squirming halfheartedly beneath Ino, "Just you wait! I'll beat you someday!"

Ino starts to respond but a slight cough from the door interrupts. Both girls startle and look towards the door. The blond man peeking into the room smiles fondly and raises an eyebrow, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Dad!" Ino scrambles up and gives the man a brief hug, "You're back! How was the mission?"

Ino's father pats her head and laughs, "Long but uneventful for the most part. Escorting foreign dignitaries to enemy nations isn't the most glamorous of missions but it pays well." He steps back and gestures to the hitai-ate around Ino's waist, "I see you've officially made genin while I was away. Good job. And how are your missions so far?"

"Ugh! Boring." Ino makes a face, "We've had to chase down a mangy cat for the Fire lord's wife. Twice!" She huffs, "I understand that we're not ready for the really dangerous stuff yet but still. We could do something a little more challenging."

"Ah. The infamous Tora-chan. Genin have had to "rescue" that poor cat for the last couple of years. I hear it runs away at least once a week." Ino's father chuckles, "Missions will get more exciting in time." He smiles at Sakura as she stands and straightens her clothing, "Ah, Sakura. It seems you've made genin as well. Your mother must be proud. How have your missions been?"

Sakura fidgets a little and Ino speaks up, "Sakura hasn't been on any missions yet. I'm surprised her sensei even let the team take the test considering."

Ino's father looks vaguely surprised, "Oh? That's unusual. Why?"

Sakura sighs, "One of my teammates is in the hospital. He was attacked and he's been put on medical leave until he's released. So we aren't allowed on missions yet." She crosses her arms, "But really, the medics must be idiots. He's fine now! And bored to death in there. Even Kakashi-sensei is getting impatient."

Ino huffs, "Considering that it's Naruto they're all probably refusing to release him out spite. On the day we graduated I heard some of the parents saying that it was good that he hadn't and that he should never become a ninja. Everybody hates Naruto." She pauses, looking slyly at her father, "Actually. . . Dad, do you know why everybody hates him? I can't seem to find a reason."

Ino's father freezes, "Well. . ." After a moment he hurriedly retreats, "I believe I hear your mother calling me. I should go see what she wants."

"Well, damn." Ino glares at the now closed door, "Everybody dodges the question like their lives depend on it."

After several moments of silence Sakura comments thoughtfully, "Maybe their lives do depend on it. Think about it. If there was a law or an order from Hokage-sama that forbids anyone talking about the reason everyone hates Naruto. . ."

Ino finishes the statement, "Then no one would dare talk about it. You're a genius, Sakura! Everyone's reactions to our questions make sense now! And if it is a law then it has to be recorded in the village records somewhere. All we have to do is find the record and bingo!"

Sakura shakes her head, "But a record like that would be sealed to almost everyone. There's no way we could get clearance to look at it."

"We're _ninja._ We've been trained to do this sort of thing." Ino rolls her eyes, "I'll go talk to Shikamaru. If anyone can come up with a plan to get in and view those records he can."

Sakura grins, "Alright. But right now I want to get my hair cut and go home. I'd like to get some studying done before bed."

"Are you sure?" Ino pets Sakura's hair, "It's so glossy and pretty. Such a shame to hack it all off."

"If you like it that much you can keep it." Sakura snorts and tugs off her hitai-ate.

"Alright." Ino chuckles, "That way when you start missing it you can always come for a visit." Sakura shoves her off the bed and Ino takes the opportunity to grab some things from her dresser, including a pair of scissors, a comb and a kunai, before sitting down again. She takes out a brush and begins running it through the pink strands, "How short do you want it?"

"Really short." Sakura demonstrates with her fingers, "About like this. But stylish. I don't want to look ugly."

Ino laughs, "I cut it that short and you'll look like a boy!"

"Sasuke-kun _does_ like Naruto."

"Well, when you put it that way." Ino grabs a hair tie and wraps it around Sakura's hair before picking up the scissors.

Sakura looks over her shoulder in surprise, "You're really going to keep it?"

Ino shrugs, "Why not? It can be a memento sort of thing." Ino makes the first cut, shearing off the bulk of Sakura's hair and laying it carefully to the side. She continues on in silence, carefully snipping and layering with scissors and the kunai. Sakura sits quietly and lets Ino work uninterrupted. After a long silence Ino steps back and looks over her work. "Hmm, I think I'm done. Go and look. If you don't like anything I left a little room for change but it'll end up really, really short."

Sakura stands up and looks into her reflection. "Wow. It's. . ." She runs her fingers through her hair making the strands clump into wispy spikes. "So different. I like it."

Ino casually embraces Sakura from behind, resting her chin on Sakura's shoulder, "It's cute. And when you ruffle it. . ." She playfully musses the pink strands making them even spikier, "you really look like a boy." After a moment she adds, "But you won't be able to wear your hitai-ate like you used to."

Sakura smiles, "That's alright. I am going to be a serious ninja now." She ties her hitai-ate around her forehead, "I should probably start wearing my hitai-ate like one." She turns and pokes Ino, "Maybe you should too."

Ino laughs, "No thanks. I'll keep mine where it is." She pokes Sakura back, "I don't have a giant forehead to hide anyway." Sakura scowls halfheartedly and Ino chuckles, "You really are too cute." She leans in and places a light kiss on Sakura's cheek, "I wish you luck with Sasuke-kun. If you do manage to get them to agree to a threesome you'll tell me all the juicy details right?"

Sakura goes red, "Threesome? Who said anything about a threesome?"

"You did! 'If I have to share Sasuke-kun with Naruto I'll share.' Remember?" Ino nudges Sakura and winks.

Sakura sputters, "I didn't mean it like that! I meant. . . Naruto would. . . and then. . . and Sasuke. . . and umm. . ." Embarrassed and slightly panicked she changes the subject, "But what about you? Will you be alright with it? I mean. . . You like Sasuke-kun too. . ."

Ino shrugs, "Yeah. But I never really expected to actually snag him. I'm sure I'll find someone else to like. Who likes me back." She winks, "And I'll be sure to tell you all the juicy details!" She bursts into laughter and Sakura quickly joins her.  
. . .

Naruto slurps up the last of the ramen, licking his lips in contentment. Grinning he puts the container down and signs to Iruka, more sedately finishing his own ramen/Thanks Iruka-sensei/

Iruka chuckles around a mouthful of noodles. He swallows and reaches out to ruffle Naruto's hair, "You're welcome. I know hospital food isn't very good so I thought you'd like some ramen for a change."

Naruto beams. /Thanks/ After a moment his face falls and he starts to fidget. /When are they going to let me out of here/ He brushes his fingers against the mask around his throat before continuing. /I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all anymore. Not even when I forget and try to talk./

Iruka shrugs, "I don't know. But it's not like they can keep you here. You proved that the day of the explanatory meeting."

Naruto scowls. /But I can't go on missions until they give the ok./

"Look at the bright side. You've learned a good number of new jutsu and even I'm amazed at the progress you've made with sign language. You've outstripped Sasuke and very nearly caught up with Sakura." Iruka smiles, "I know you're getting a little bored but you've still got the codes to learn and if you want I can find some more jutsu for you. There are some basic katon and doton and I even know where to find a couple simple suiton scrolls."

/But. . ./

Iruka shakes his head, "Ask your sensei. Now that you three have the basics of sign language and you are healed he will probably be willing to take you out training."

Naruto sighs. /Thanks, Iruka-sensei./  
. . .

Sasuke looks at the targets arranged around the small clearing. He scowls at the kunai imbedded in them, some not anywhere near the centers, and gathers them quickly with angry jerks "This time I'll do it." With a little grunt he leaps into the air and tosses the kunai, several dull thunks sounding a moment later. He lands and his scowl deepens on seeing that all but one kunai is imbedded in the exact center of the target. He collects the kunai and grits his teeth, "I won't stop until I've beaten you, Nii-san." The last word is spit out with hate.  
. . .  
. . .

Cyber-"There. That shall be where I end this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave me some reviews!"

Review responses:

Thanks to: Dairokkan, MysteryLady-Tx, RaitenKitsune, Satern Mya, Rosemarykiss, Kyuzo, Princess Kitana, thuyhy-thuyhy, Turtle Kid, chinadoll27, KunochiDreamer, Totaljammer, Joker, sweetlilazn, DreamingRabbit, Peter Kim, Christy, crazy birdbrain099, CloudKat, void star blade, kurama and hieis girl. Sir Graq, sarah-sama, vampchic, Leasan, madnarutofan, silverfox, Maelik, Shadow117, hogo-chan, Erika, Hezzer, EscagirlUK, harryhollow, YJ, The Dark Child, Saske's Iris

To Sierra-Falls: Thanks for the review. About the stealth idea: I agree for the most part. If you remember, I did have Iruka say that the reason Naruto tended to do badly with stealth was his loudness, not his clothing choices. The reason he isn't wearing orange anymore is because his jacket and orange pants were destroyed. I may have him return to orange pants in the future (cause it's possible he has more than one pair) but the jacket is gone forever.

To bookworm51485: Thanks for the review. As for your questions about the condition of the anime arcs in the fic, well, I will say that most of the arcs will be present in some shape or form. You'll just have to be patient about the details.

To Yum: Thanks for the review. As for Sakura asking Kakashi, it was mostly because she forgot about it until he came in the room. Also she isn't used to going to Naruto for information, even about himself. In the future she may think to ask him. Doesn't mean she'll get an answer though.

To ki-ka: Thanks for the review, I suppose. As for my penname I am consolidating my internet self under the screenname NaturalCyber (so Idon't have to bother telling people: that's not plagerism etc. it's just my other screenname). I have no intention of changing it again.


End file.
